Virginia becomes the first southern state to pass legislation to legalize marijuana.

Virginia lawmakers on Saturday approved a bill that will legalize recreational marijuana in 2024. The compromise bill that delays retail sales of the drug for three years makes Virginia the first southern state to vote to legalize marijuana for adults, joining 15 other states and the District of Columbia. The bill has yet to be signed by Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam, who has voiced support for the legalization of marijuana. “It took a lot of work to get here, but I would say we are on the way to a fair law allowing responsible adults to consume cannabis,” Senator Adam Ebbin told The Associated Press.

The House passed legalization measure 48-43 while the Senate approved it 20-19. The bill was passed without a single Republican vote in either chamber. The bill, which would legalize the possession of an ounce of marijuana or less by people 21 years of age or older, calls for the creation of an independent agency to regulate the marijuana market. But lawmakers “kicked off”, as the Richmond Times-Dispatch puts it, several key decisions about how the market would be regulated and new criminal penalties for possession of minors and unregulated sales.

The bill was so controversial that seven Democrats in the House and one in the Senate did not support it. Several Democrats have said that waiting until 2024 to legalize possession and waiting until next year to make key decisions means the measure shortens communities of color that are disproportionately affected by criminalization. Of particular concern is that Democrats can no longer control both houses of the state legislature, the Washington Post notes. So while Democrats have widely celebrated the passage of the bill, several have also said they hope Northam will change the legislation and send lawmakers a more comprehensive bill that could be considered later this year. “Virginia has just taken an important step towards legalizing marijuana in our Commonwealth,” said Northam spokeswoman Alena Yarmosky. “Governor Northam is grateful to the General Assembly for their hard work and looks forward to continuing to improve this legislation.”