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

Virginia lawmakers passed a bill on Saturday that will legalize recreational marijuana in 2024. The compromise bill that delays retail drug sales 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 Governor Ralph Northam, who has spoken openly about his support for marijuana legalization. “It has been a lot of work to get here, but I would say that we are on the way to a fair law allowing responsible adults to use cannabis,” State Sen. Adam Ebbin told the Associated Press.

The Chamber approved the legalization measure 48-43, while the Senate approved it 20-19. The bill passed without a single Republican vote in either chamber. The bill, which would legalize the possession of an ounce of marijuana or less by those aged 21 and over, calls for the creation of an independent agency to regulate the marijuana market. But lawmakers “punished,” as the Richmond Times-Dispatch says, several important decisions about how the market would be regulated and the 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 said that waiting until 2024 to legalize ownership and waiting until next year to make important decisions means that the move gives little importance to communities of color that are disproportionately affected by criminalization. A particular concern is that Democrats will no longer be able to control the two chambers of the state legislature, notes the Washington Post. So even as Democrats widely welcomed the bill’s approval, several also said they hoped Northam would amend the legislation and send lawmakers a more complete bill that could be considered later this year. “Virginia has just taken a big step towards legalizing marijuana in our community,” said Northam spokeswoman Alena Yarmosky. “Governor Northam thanks the General Assembly for its hard work and hopes to continue to improve this legislation.”