Lucas, a Democrat, has long been one of Virginia’s most prominent voices for marijuana legalization, and federal investigators’ activity in her home city thrust that agenda back into focus this week. On Wednesday, FBI agents were seen outside Lucas’ political office and outside her cannabis business in Portsmouth, according to the Associated Press.
The FBI said it was conducting a court-authorized search warrant, but it did not provide details about what investigators were seeking. The FBI would say only that the warrant was authorized, and Lucas’ office and business remained under attention as federal agents carried out the search.
Lucas has described marijuana legalization as an issue tied to racial disparities, saying it disproportionately affects members of the African American community. As her political career has progressed over decades, legalization has remained central to her public agenda, the Associated Press reported.
The lawmaker sponsored a legalization bill and later opened her own cannabis shop in her hometown, The Cannabis Outlet, which sells legal hemp and CBD products. Lucas’ advocacy has also extended to social media posts that frame legalization as unfinished even after policy changes, the Associated Press reported.
In one 2019 milestone, Lucas became Virginia’s first Black woman to hold the leadership role of Senate president pro tempore after Democrats seized the Senate majority. The Associated Press also described how her public visibility has extended beyond legislation into political commentary online.
Lucas’ profile has included prior legal conflict connected to her activism: the Associated Press reported that she attended a protest involving a Confederate monument that led to felony charges, but a judge later dismissed those charges. The same report said Lucas has continued to draw attention for her presence on social media and her confrontational responses to political opponents.
In a separate example cited by the Associated Press, after Texas Sen. Ted Cruz criticized Democrats’ proposed redistricting map in Virginia on X, Lucas responded, “You all started it and we (expletive) finished it.” The Associated Press also reported a 2022 post in which Lucas said, “Let’s talk about pot,” adding that “People are still in jail for something that is legal today.”
Lucas was born in Portsmouth and previously worked at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard, where her biography in the state library said she was the first female ship fitter. She has also led a Portsmouth business that provides residences, day programs and transportation for intellectually disabled adults, according to the Associated Press.
The Associated Press report said an armored FBI vehicle and multiple agents were visible outside Lucas’ cannabis store on Wednesday, as investigators conducted the search pursuant to the court authorization.