VIRGINIA DECRIMINALIZES MARIJUANA POSSESSION, CALLS FOR LEGALIZATION

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 From our friends at NORML...

After years of lobbying and pressure by Virginia NORML and others, lawmakers this year abolished its strict criminal penalties for marijuana possession offenses – replacing them with a $25 fine, no arrest, and no criminal record. “NORML is proud to have worked to bring about these needed changes to Virginia law, said NORML development director, Jenn Michelle Pedini, who also serves as the executive director of Virginia NORML. “Virginians have long opposed the criminalization of personal marijuana possession, and the enactment of this legislation turns that public opinion into public policy.” 

Following this legislative victory, NORML immediately pivoted to push for the enactment of adult-use legalization in Virginia – a push that spurred the state’s Governor and Attorney General in November to publicly endorse the policy change.