Opinion: A regulated market will alleviate cannabis purity concerns

Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears alleges there is an influx of fentanyl-laced marijuana coming to Virginia and that the state’s liberal cannabis policies are to blame.

She’s wrong on both counts. In a recent appearance on John Reid’s Richmond Morning News podcast, , “Now we have fentanyl coming through our borders and now that we in Virginia have legalized marijuana, you’re getting fentanyl-laced marijuana. And, my God, it is killing us.

” In fact, there exist of fentanyl-laced cannabis in Virginia — or, for that matter, anywhere in the nation. In almost every instance where such cases have been alleged, these claims were after lab tests either the presence of the synthetic opioid or determined that the initial finding was the result of . Even representatives from the U.

S. Drug Enforcement Administration have acknowledged that there exists little support for the claim. In fact, a senior chemist for the agency that the DEA has never seized cannabis containing fentanyl.

Furthermore, that fentanyl’s active components quickly break down when heated, once it reaches the point of combustion. Consequently, it would be “illogical and scientifically preposterous” to purposefully mix fentanyl with cannabis, says toxicologist Ryan Marino, assistant professor of emergency medicine at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. “Thanks to the laws of chemistry, we know better.

” That said, the lieutenant governor is correct that cannabis products sold on the unregulated market can sometimes be of variable quality and purity. This is particularly true of so-called “hemp-derived” cannabis products sold over the counter in Virginia. analyzing the contents of unregulated delta-8 vapor cartridges identified the presence of heavy metals, including magnesium, chromium, nickel and mercury, along with adulterants and other impurities.

However, the solution to these public health concerns is not to call for a return to cannabis criminalization or to stoke sensationalist fears. Rather, Virginia lawmakers should take steps to mitigate consumers’ risk of being exposed to potentially tainted products. In a legally regulated marketplace, cannabis products are made available from licensed manufacturers at retail stores.

Cannabis is cultivated and products are manufactured in accordance with good manufacturing practices. Products are lab tested and labeled accordingly — ensuring that consumers have access to products of verified purity and potency. The creation of such a regulated market was the intention of Virginia lawmakers and former Gov.

Ralph Northam when in 2021 they legalized the possession and use of limited amounts of cannabis by adults. However, in the years since, Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin and his administration have made it clear that in taking steps to reign in and regulate the state’s estimated .

This head-in-the-sand position makes little sense. Nearly half of all states, including Maryland, have enacted legislation regulating the adult-use cannabis market. None of these states have repealed or even rolled back their legalization laws and public support for these policies has .

According to the , legalizing marijuana is one of the few policy positions that a majority of Democrats, independents and Republican voters agree upon. That is because these policies are largely working as politicians and voters intended and they are preferable to prohibition. After a century of failed policies and canna-bigotry, Virginians are ready to move in a different direction — one that legalizes, regulates and educates.

It is time for lawmakers to finish what they started and establish a regulatory framework that allows for the legal, licensed commercial production and retail sale of marijuana to adults. Sign up for email newsletters.