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The six candidates running in reconfigured districts of the General Assembly who would represent the Rockbridge area have contrasting views on marijuana laws.
The two candidates seeking election to the Buffalo District seat on the Rockbridge County Board of Supervisors have different viewpoints on agri-tourism and the process for allowing solar projects on farms.
Those are a couple of the takeaways from last Wednesday’s candidates forum at the Hampton Inn Col Alto that was sponsored by the chamber of commerce.
Featured at the 90-minute forum were Republican Del. Christopher Head and Democratic nominee Jade Harris, candidates for state Senate District 3; Republican Del. Ellen Campbell and Democratic nominee Randall Wolf, candidates for House of Delegates District 36; Republican Del. Terry Austin and Democratic nominee Stephanie Clark, candidates for House of Delegates District 37; and incumbent Buffalo District supervisor Leslie Ayers and her challenger, former Buffalo supervisor Mack Smith. -The General Assembly candidates were asked how the state can get past the legal limbo regarding cannabis – “How do we move to something that allows retail sales to be regulated and taxed?”
“For what it’s worth, cannabis isn’t legal, it’s just been state decriminalized,” said Head. “It’s still a federally controlled substance and it’s still illegal on a federal level. Because of that, it makes it very difficult for the states that have decriminalized it to have a controlled retail market in their state. It’s still a cash business, which opens the door for an enormous amount of illegal activities.”
Emphasizing he’d voted against legislation that had legalized possession of small amount of marijuana – “I wish we could put the tooth paste back in the tube and stop the legalization of it because I think it’s a pariah on our society” – he acknowledged that isn’t likely so “if we’re going to have retail sales, the model that we ought to go to is what we do with liquor and use state-run … ABC stores that would keep it from having a criminal element involved in it because it would be state controlled all down the line.”
“Well, Delegate Head and I couldn’t be more different in our answers here,” said Harris. “With legalization, with decriminalization, with the retail market, our governor doesn’t seem to want to have anything to do with it. Even though the voters have spoken, that doesn’t seem to matter.”
Harris said there have been “tons of studies on it. If Virginia is going to have a retail market, we need to go ahead and emulate what other states have successfully done over the years. We’re really behind, guys. Look to Maryland, look to D.C. Utilize those methods, bring them here. We really need to just get up and do it.”
Wolf said he’s been “campaigning on a field-to-factory approach.” He called for creating markets for small family farms and factories, rather than turning the markets over to big corporations.” He did say standards need to be established for its use, for determining “what’s the legal limit and what’s not for driving, for work, for different things like that.”
From knocking on doors during the campaign, Wolf said, “I’ve heard from people working on rescue squads about dealing with small children that got into gummies and overdosed. Some have nearly died in our area. Some have died across the country. We need to put some guardrails on it but we shouldn’t stop it. We need to continue with legalized marijuana. There are far more benefits than negatives.”
Campbell advised caution. “I think this is an issue that we really can’t rush. As Randall just alluded to, there are a lot of things that can come from the legalization of cannabis and the readiness for it to be accessible to so many people. It’s killing young people. It’s been decriminalized so they pretty much have it everywhere.”
She noted that “There are a lot of issues that come with that. There are a lot of safety issues, health and mental health issues that come with that so I don’t think this is something that we can rush. I do think we need to study it more. I think we need to figure out the appropriate way, if there is one, to move forward with this but I’m not sure we’re there quite yet.”
Austin said he regretted that Virginia had decriminalized marijuana. “I never did support it. I think it’s a gateway drug. I still think it’s a gateway drug. I think it creates a lot of problems in society. But because it’s legal to have it but not legal to buy it, we’ve created a world of problems in Virginia.”
Like Head, Austin supports having state-owned ABC stores take over retail sales. That’s “the only way I think we can control it … You know who’s buying it. You know what age they are. It has restrictions, the state controls it.” He said he has “no problems with medical grade marijuana. I think it’s fine.” He alluded to people who have seizure disorders and cancer patients that are undergoing chemo treatments as being beneficiaries of medical marijuana. In legalizing marijuana for recreational use, he remarked, “We got the cart way before the horse … ” Clark said she shares a household with “millennials that are very supportive of this idea. We have great discussions. They ask what about medical marijuana? I have a sister who died in her 40s from Parkinson’s Disease. And if … medical marijuana had been available, she would have used it. I think we really need to look at this as a state, look at it as a whole. I like the idea of farmers being able to use this to help them.”
When Clark was a member of Covington City Council, she said, members had discussions about how much tax revenue legal sales of marijuana could bring to the state. “I think we need to look at it as a whole rural area, as the state of Virginia, and study it a little bit more. And I’m saying that as a mother.” -The candidates for Buffalo supervisor were asked their thoughts on supporting agritourism.
“By embracing agri-tourism,” Ayers responded, “the board can aid local farmers in expanding their income streams while reinforcing Rockbridge County’s image as a lively and bucolic community, providing a unique experience for every visitor and local alike.” In addition to supporting farmers markets and specific programs like Fields of Gold, the supervisors maintain “support for land use taxation [that provides] an economic incentive for land to remain in farmland. The recent reduction in tax rates from 74 to 61 cents benefited farmers with a 17.5 percent reduction in land use taxes.” She said the supervisors can also “provide comprehensive support services and resources through the economic development office to aid agri-tourism businesses in their development and growth.”
Smith, a farmer, posed questions about the concept of agri-tourism. “We really need to go back and study this thing a little bit more to figure out what it is we’re talking about,” he said. He alluded to a sunflower festival in Botetourt County that, if held in Rockbridge County, might cause traffic problems by drawing so many visitors along back country roads. Opening up farms to the public, he said, could raise “biosecurity” issues. “Tourism is good overall. It doesn’t matter whether it’s agri-tourism or any kind of tourism. It brings people in, they spend money and they go back to where they came from. We reap the benefits of that. I’m not sure I really distinguish a lot between the differences [between] tourism and agritourism. I think it’s almost the same.”
Ayers and Smith were asked their thoughts about the proliferation of solar projects in the county and what can be done to improve the application process for approving them.
“People say, over and over, I want Rockbridge County to look like Rockbridge County, and I think that says what we need to do to help the process,” said Ayers. “Can you put in the setbacks and protections to make that viable for the community? Tourism is a big deal in Rockbridge County.”
Ayers continued: “Farmers are looking at this as a way to also save their farms. Do we feel comfortable saying to a farmer, ‘You can’t use your property the way you’re asking to use your property’? How do we balance those two things? I think that’s critically important in creating an ordinance that will be before the supervisors soon.”
Smith labeled the issue a “hot subject right now,” comparing it to the proliferation of subdivisions in the county 20 years ago. He was on the board then, recalling that the supervisors were “hammered every month” with requests for special exception permits to create new subdivisions. He said he disagrees with the process of solar fields being allowed with special exception permits.
Smith said he wants an ordinance that specifies where solar fields will be allowed, and he doesn’t want to see them on prime farmland. He decried the notion that soil type determines what good farmland is. “It has to do with contours, with levelness of the ground, rainfall – all that determines what good farmland is. I’m a farmer. I know what good farmland is.” He said he worries that too much farmland is being lost nationwide “and this solar thing is going to eat up those acres like you wouldn’t believe, when it’s all said and done.” -Candidates for the General Assembly were asked what they would do to advocate for bringing broadband internet service to underserved areas – to get the “last miles” built out.
“I am Gen Z so I’m the first generation to grow up with the internet from childhood,” said Harris. “I know firsthand how important a decent wireless connection is. … If we want to build a region that’s inviting to young professionals with young families and a tax base, we need to advocate for high-speed internet access. Our commonwealth has been a leader and a beacon for expanding access in the U.S. but we need to keep going. Virginia has access to nearly $1.5 billion in federal funds but we need to be fighting hard to ensure that that money comes to our district – not just NOVA and not just Hampton Roads.” She said it’s also important to make sure broadband service is affordable for lower-income families.
Head said this is an issue “I’ve been working on in my 10-year tenure in the House of Delegates. Universal broadband is so important for so many different critical areas – for business, education and tele-health.” He said he had worked on legislation that was signed into law July 1 that would remove a barrier that railroads were creating by taking too long and charging exorbitant fees to allow lines to cross their tracks.
“When I think about broadband, I don’t think of it as a luxury for all the reasons that have been mentioned,” said Campbell. “Here in rural areas we can’t be left out. People here in Rockbridge are now working with the governor’s office to make sure [we secure grant funding]. I believe we’ll close the gap. It’s not a luxury. It’s something that we have to do. We need to make sure we get the funding and that it’s used as rapidly as possible.”
“Sadly, this is still an issue,” said Wolf. “It’s hard to believe that for as long as we’ve been talking about it, it still hasn’t been done. Broadband is this generation’s infrastructure project. … Partnerships with BARC and Shenandoah Valley Electric Cooperative are critical to getting those last miles. … Public/private partnerships are the best options to get this done. I personally would organize community meetings to bring together providers, state officials and local residents to identify where the gaps still are. So, that would be the first thing that I would be doing. … I would bring together stake holders and hold providers accountable.”
“Broadband is critical in today’s world for business, education and tele-health,” said Austin. “Broadband’s last mile is always the most expensive. It can cost up to $40,000 per household to get the last mile. It’s made it practically unaffordable for a lot of localities.” Botetourt and Bedford counties were successful in getting multimillion- dollar grants but Rockbridge got left out in the last round of funding, he said. Austin is working with state and local officials to make sure funding is secured for Rockbridge in the next round. “I think we’ll get our fair share,” he said.
Clark said she would meet “with other elected officials and I will find out what they need to complete the last mile.” She said she has been in on meetings in Covington in which she’s emphasized the importance of getting highspeed internet service to rural businesses and households. “In the rural areas we’re always left out but it’s time for us to be included in what’s happening,” she said.
