RICHMOND, Va. (CBS19 NEWS) -- The Virginia House of Delegates and Senate passed their respective bills that would legalize recreational marijuana for individuals 21 and older.

If Governor Ralph Northam signs a bill legalizing recreational marijuana, Virginia would be the first state in the South to do so.

"There's a lot of work to do," said Delegate Sally Hudson, D-Charlottesville. "There's a lot of different things baked inside those bills designed to both repair the harm the war on drugs has done in the past, and then set a fair and equitable future for cannabis in Virginia."

Joseph Kuhn, co-owner of Albemarle Hemp Company, says legalization of recreational cannabis would be beneficial.

"The income generated by the legalization of marijuana will be amazingly powerful and positive for the community as a whole," he said.

Taxes on cannabis would help get services done in the Commonwealth.

"That tax money goes to things all Virginians need, regardless of whether they're in cannabis or not, that's what's really important," Kuhn said.

Hudson says cannabis could provide between $200 million and $400 million in tax revenue, based on what other states have seen.

"That's a lot of money, but it's nowhere near enough to fill the big holes that we need in public services like our public education budget," she said.

She says the General Assembly is being mindful while writing and creating these new laws.

"Just like any other controlled substance, we have to be worried about substance abuse and addiction and so we're putting public health first and that really matters," Hudson said.

She also said laws would help those who went to jail while marijuana was illegal.

"The expungement process needs to be automatic and far-reaching and free so anybody with these records has access to it," Hudson said.

Kuhn says if the use of recreational marijuana does become legal, Albemarle Hemp Company would be interested in selling it, in addition to the CBD products it sells now.

"I don't think we're going to go 100 percent into marijuana, we're going to do both, and I think for me the reason is there are a lot of people who want the benefits of CBD," he said.