Virginia moves closer to more relaxed pot laws with Democratic majority

Virginia Attorney General Mark R. Herring and the General Assembly’s new “Cannabis Caucus” are exploring ways to loosen state marijuana laws, and will meet Wednesday to discuss decriminalizing possession of the drug and legalizing it for recreational use.

Under the Democrats’ new majority in Richmond, lawmakers expect to pass legislation that has languished in previous years andseeks to wipe away criminal penalties of as much as 30 days in jail for pot possession.

Herring, a potential Democratic candidate for governor next year, organized the all-day summit inside the state Capitol to build more support for those bills. He also wants to lay a foundation for regulating the drug for legal consumption.

Both moves, he argues, would keep people from being saddled with criminal convictions in Virginia that blockthem from finding good jobs or qualifying for loans. Legalization also would offer pot users a safer choice amid worries over increasingly powerful strains of the drug sold on the streets leading to overdoses, Herring said in an interview Tuesday.

“Criminalizing possession of small amounts of marijuana is not working in Virginia,” he said, citing state statistics that show the number of marijuana-related arrests have tripled since 1999 to nearly 30,000 last year, with people of color disproportionately affected. [Read more at The Washington Post]

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