IndustryDevelopments | International & State Virginia The House of Delegates and Senate each passed different marijuana legalization bills, taking a major step toward legalizing a recreational marijuana market. The differences in those bills-including whether vertical integration would be allowed-must be ironed out by a legislative committee for Virginia to take the milestone step. Gov. Ralph Northam supports legalization. Both measures call for a commercial recreational marijuana market to launch Jan. 1, 2024. The bills also emphasize licensing opportunities for small and minority-owned local businesses. Unlike other recently launched adult-use states, the existing four vertically integrated medical marijuana operators would not be allowed under the legislation to transition first into a recreational market. Washington state The legal cannabis industry contributes roughly $2 billion a year to the state's economy, according to a new report from Washington State University. The report, titled " 2020 Contributions of the Washington Cannabis Sector, " found that in 2020 the industry was responsible for $1.85 billion of gross state product and supported about 18,700 jobs. Retail marijuana sales alone have grown 605% between 2015 and 2020, the report found. 38 Marijuana Business Magazine | March 2021https://www.fluidresearch.com/products/meter-mix-dispense-systems/cm420-multi-component-dispensing-system/?utm_source=MJBizDaily&utm_medium=Banner&utm_campaign=External-Ads&utm_content=032021