---
type: "Bill"
title: "Manufacturing, selling, giving, distributing, or possessing with intent to manufacture, sell, give, or distribute a controlled substance or an imitation controlled substance prohibited; penalties."
description: "Manufacturing, selling, giving, distributing, or possessing with intent to manufacture, sell, give, or distribute a controlled substance or an imitation controlled substance prohibited; penalties. Removes the distinction between cocaine, which refers to powder cocaine, its salts, optical and geometric isomers, and salts of isomers and a mixture or substance that contains cocaine base, which refers to crack cocaine, for the offense of manufacturing, selling, giving, distributing, or possessing with intent to manufacture, sell, give, or distribute a controlled substance or an imitation controlled substance. This bill is identical to HB 1955."
jurisdiction: "us/states/va"
legislature: "Virginia General Assembly"
session: "2025"
identifier: "SB 888"
citation: "Virginia SB 888 (2025)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Russet Perry"]
version_count: 3
action_count: 26
vote_count: 5
first_action: "2025-01-03"
last_action: "2025-03-24"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/54a98193-eb3e-4778-810a-d39e92736b93"
source_url: "https://lis.virginia.gov/bill-details/20251/SB888"
source_hash: "a636d7e12ca6408ad44b4bc9309cd4f880db87b2f8028e85704a9c76b29d3e12"
vintage: "2026-07-01"
source_snapshot: "https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-06"
confidence: "reported"
tags: ["legislation", "bill", "us-va"]
---

# Virginia SB 888 (2025) — Manufacturing, selling, giving, distributing, or possessing with intent to manufacture, sell, give, or distribute a controlled substance or an imitation controlled substance prohibited; penalties.

Manufacturing, selling, giving, distributing, or possessing with intent to manufacture, sell, give, or distribute a controlled substance or an imitation controlled substance prohibited; penalties. Removes the distinction between cocaine, which refers to powder cocaine, its salts, optical and geometric isomers, and salts of isomers and a mixture or substance that contains cocaine base, which refers to crack cocaine, for the offense of manufacturing, selling, giving, distributing, or possessing with intent to manufacture, sell, give, or distribute a controlled substance or an imitation controlled substance. This bill is identical to HB 1955.

## Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. **Introduced** (filed) — [source](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1013380.PDF)
2. **Chaptered** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1074217.PDF)
3. **Enrolled** (enrolled) — [source](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1045507.PDF)

## Votes

- Reported from Courts of Justice (22-Y 0-N) — **22–0** (pass) · lower
- Read third time and passed Senate (40-Y 0-N) — **40–0** (pass) · upper
- Constitutional reading dispensed (on 1st reading) (40-Y 0-N) — **40–0** (pass) · upper
- Passed House (95-Y 0-N) — **95–0** (pass) · lower
- Reported from Courts of Justice (15-Y 0-N) — **15–0** (pass) · upper

## Sponsors

- Russet Perry — primary (person)

## Timeline

The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.

- **2025-01-03** Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-08-2025 25101923D `filing, introduction`
- **2025-01-03** Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice `referral-committee`
- **2025-01-08** Impact statement from VCSC (SB888)
- **2025-01-15** Reported from Courts of Justice (15-Y 0-N) `committee-passage`
- **2025-01-17** Rules suspended
- **2025-01-17** Constitutional reading dispensed (on 1st reading) (40-Y 0-N)
- **2025-01-17** Passed by for the day
- **2025-01-20** Read second time and engrossed `reading-2`
- **2025-01-21** Read third time and passed Senate (40-Y 0-N) `passage, reading-3`
- **2025-01-24** Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (SB888)
- **2025-02-05** Placed on Calendar
- **2025-02-05** Read first time `reading-1`
- **2025-02-05** Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice `referral-committee`
- **2025-02-05** Reported from Courts of Justice (22-Y 0-N) `committee-passage`
- **2025-02-07** Read second time `reading-2`
- **2025-02-10** Read third time `reading-3`
- **2025-02-10** Passed House (95-Y 0-N) `passage`
- **2025-02-11** Enrolled `enrolled`
- **2025-02-11** Bill text as passed Senate and House (SB888ER) `passage`
- **2025-02-11** Signed by Speaker `passage`
- **2025-02-12** Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (SB888)
- **2025-02-13** Signed by President `passage`
- **2025-02-18** Enrolled Bill Communicated to Governor on February 18, 2025 `enrolled`
- **2025-02-18** Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., March 24, 2025 `executive-receipt`
- **2025-03-24** Approved by Governor-Chapter 403 (Effective 07/01/25) `executive-signature`
- **2025-03-24** Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0403)

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/54a98193-eb3e-4778-810a-d39e92736b93`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Virginia legislature records).