VIRGINIA, United States (AP) — Virginia became the first Southern state to legalise marijuana Wednesday, as lawmakers voted to approve Governor Ralph Northam’s proposed changes to a Bill that will allow adults to possess and cultivate small amounts of the drug starting in July.

Northam sent the Bill back to lawmakers substantially changed from the version that squeaked out of the General Assembly in February. The amendments lawmakers agreed to Wednesday would accelerate the timeline of legalisation by about three years, well before retail sales would begin, a move that’s been cheered by racial justice advocates.

“The time has come for our state to legalise marijuana. The amendments ensure that while we’re doing the complicated work of standing up a commercial market, we aren’t delaying immediate reforms that will make our commonwealth more equitable for all Virginians,” House Majority Leader Charniele Herring said in urging her colleagues to approve the governor’s changes.

Democrats said the Bill was a matter of urgency, a necessary step to end what state figures show is a disparate treatment of people of colour under current marijuana laws.

Northam’s amendments cleared the House 53-44 with two abstentions during a one-day session held for the purpose of putting the finishing touches on the year’s legislation. In the Senate, lawmakers deadlocked 20-20 and Democratic Lt Governor Justin Fairfax broke the tie, voting to approve the changes.

The final version of the legislation would allow adults 21 and up to legally possess up to one ounce (28.3 grams) of cannabis without the intent to distribute, beginning July 1. It also would allow the home cultivation of up to four plants per household, beginning July 1. Public use of the drug will be prohibited.

“This is not going to generate some ganjafest at Jiffy Lube pavilion out in the parking lot, because that is smoking in public. Just like you can’t drink in public, you can’t smoke in public under this,” Democratic Senator Scott Surovell said.

It will be years before legal retail sales follow legalised possession. The Bill lays out the complex process of creating a new state agency to oversee the marijuana marketplace, with sales beginning and regulations taking effect on January 1, 2024.

Many parts of the Bill dealing with the regulatory framework will have to be reapproved by lawmakers next year. The possession and cultivation pieces will not.

Republicans, who overwhelmingly opposed the Bill when it initially went through the General Assembly, railed against the latest version, citing several reasons.

The GOP’s Chris Head called the Bill “a train wreck”.

“The hard-fought compromise that barely made it out of this chamber and over to the Senate has just been discarded. And why is that? It’s because some activists want marijuana legalised and they want it legalised now, consequences be damned,” he said.