Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam (D) urged lawmakers to push ahead with cannabis legalization in the next legislative session, and ensure the state leads the way with the reform measure in the South. “There are 15 or so other states that have moved toward legalizing marijuana,” Northam said on WAMU radio’s [...]
Virginia lawmakers have been busy approving a raft of limited marijuana reform legislation during a special summer session, with full cannabis legalization also under consideration. So far in the session, the Virginia Senate passed a bill that would prohibit law enforcement from stopping and searching a vehicle, or seizing property, [...]
Around half of medical marijuana states prohibit home cultivation; a policy which hurts those patients hit hardest by the coronavirus outbreak. The COVID-19 pandemic has shone a light on an uncomfortable truth when it comes to medical cannabis legalization: the measure is no guarantee that patients in need will be [...]
Marijuana decriminalization in Virginia has taken effect, as of July 1, 2020. Now, marijuana possession of up to one ounce in Virginia is punishable by a $25 fine without the threat of jail time or a criminal record. Prior to the change, simple cannabis possession was subject to a maximum [...]
City officials across the US are abandoning marijuana testing requirements for public employees. Rochester City Council approved legislation to remove marijuana from the list of drugs tested at pre-employment screenings, except for certain jobs owing to safety concerns such as within law enforcement. “This is an important piece of legislation [...]
Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam signed a bill into law that will decriminalize cannabis possession from July 1, 2020. Virginia now becomes the 27th state to decriminalize marijuana possession in the US. Current Virginian law classifies marijuana possession as a criminal offense subject to a $500 fine, 30 days in jail, [...]
Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam approved legislation to decriminalize cannabis possession and two others pieces of legislation to formally legalize and expand the state’s medical marijuana program. Gov. Northam proposed technical amendments to two of the bills which now requires lawmaker approval before becoming law. The decriminalization bill reduces possession of [...]
The Virginia House of Delegates and the Senate each approved legislation to decriminalize cannabis. The House-approved bill would make low-level marijuana possession a civil penalty with no jail time but a $25 fine, while the Senate-approved bill would impose a $50 fine. Currently, a first time offender faces up to [...]
Two newly-elected Virginia prosecutors said they will not pursue low-level marijuana possession cases in their counties. Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano and Arlington County Commonwealth’s Attorney Parisa Dehgani-Tafti both won office in November on a platform calling for comprehensive criminal justice reform. Descano and Dehgani-Tafti said prosecuting minor cannabis [...]
2020 could shape up to be a defining year for marijuana reform in Virginia, one of the country’s most conservative states when it comes to cannabis laws. Both chambers of the Virginia legislature hold Democrat majorities now following state elections in November 2019. Attorney General Mark Herring said that pro-reform [...]