Cannabis advocates share concerns over Virginia’s confusing marijuana laws | Margaret Minnicks
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Cannabis advocates want clarity about confusing marijuana laws in the state of Virginia. The push comes after a raid by Richmond police of agricultural supplier Happy Trees’ warehouse.
On Thursday, February 9, 2023, authorities executed a search warrant for marijuana and psilocybin at the Roane Street warehouse in Richmond, Virginia. At the time, no arrests were made. However, people who were attending an event there described the confusion. They stated that everyone was detained and questioned even those who had medical marijuana cards.
Happy Trees co-founder Josiah Ickes was taken into custody the following Wednesday, February 15, and charged with conspiracy for the possession with intent to manufacture a schedule I or II substance, as well as conspiracy for the distribution or possession with intent of marijuana in a quantity larger than five pounds.
Sarah Williams with Richmond Cannabis Community said in a statement sent to 8News:
“Cannabis is a life-saving medication for many Virginians, and producing an understandable and accessible framework for legalization will reduce the stigma for those who need it as medication. Virginia is losing the opportunity to receive billions of dollars of tax revenue annually. Virginians are struggling to comply with the current state of Cannabis laws because they do not work the way they are written and they are confusing.”
As a former magistrate with the Supreme Court of Virginia, Williams told how she previously aided in the law enforcement of cannabis law in the Commonwealth.
“There’s a lot of ignorance in law enforcement and in the legal community about drugs and about cannabis, and I became a medical patient myself after the law passed for the medical aspect of it. Yes, it is still on the federal schedule. It is a drug you do need to be aware of what medications you’re taking and all kinds of things if you’re going to use it, and it should be used by adults, not by kids. But, at the same time, it’s not as scary as we were led to believe and as we were taught in the legal community.”
Following Ickes’ arrest, Richmond police sent out a release, which included a statement about the pop-up or so-called hangout events similar to that which authorities had raided:
“There have been occasions in the city of Richmond where individuals set up “pop-up” events that allow for multiple “vendors” to come to one location and sell marijuana. These vendors are not licensed to sell marijuana or any other illegal substance in the city of Richmond. These events pose a danger and a significant threat to the quality of life in our community and those who organize and/or participate will be investigated when information is received that they are occurring.”
According to Happy Trees’ website:
“Traditionally, there has been a weekly Tree Trade Thursday event at the Roane Street warehouse, where individuals could come out for food, music, and seed trading ‘while enjoying cannabis in all its forms.’”
Williams explained:
“It’s very concerning because people are trying their best at this point to figure out a way to make things work in the existing structure that we have, and I just don’t know if the state is putting its focus in the right place. People don’t even know what they can do, what they can’t do, and so people are kind of running afoul of the law, sometimes, not even intentionally.”
Update on the raid and arrest
The investigation is still ongoing about the raid on Happy Trees’ warehouse and the arrest of co-founder Josiah Ickes. Therefore, additional updates cannot be provided because the information was sealed by a judge.
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