The majority of Virginians support marijuana legalization.
According to a University of Mary Washington poll, 61 percent of Virginians approve legalizing marijuana for adults. Virginians, like Americans, are becoming more supportive of repealing the failing policy of marijuana prohibition and replacing it with a legal market where goods may be carefully controlled for responsible consumers.
Under state law, first-time possession offenders face up to 30 days in jail and a criminal record. Subsequent offenses are punishable by up to one-year in prison.
“While other states are moving to a more sensible approach to cannabis, Virginia is still moving in the wrong direction. It makes absolutely no sense,” said Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring. “Marijuana arrests are now at their highest level in at least two decades and maybe ever, meaning that even more Virginians, especially young people and people of color, are being saddled with criminal records that can drastically affect their lives. Now is the time to put a stop to this costly, unfair, and ineffective approach, and to pursue a better, smarter, fairer course.”
“Absent legalization, consumers of cannabis products won’t know whether they’re getting a safe, tested product or one contaminated with potentially lethal adulterants,” says Pedini. Recently, fatalities and injuries have resulted from unregulated vape cartridges, and similar issues also plague the CBD market, where the lack of a regulatory framework has led to products of variable quality, purity, and safety. “Legalization that allows for regulatory oversight is the best way to address these issues, not continued prohibition, which only drives cannabis products further into the shadows of the illicit market,” Pedini adds.
For more information, contact Jenn Michelle Pedini, NORML Development Director & Virginia NORML Executive Director.
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Americans Want To Live Where Marijuana Is Legal, Real Estate Survey Finds
Americans would rather live in states where marijuana is legal than in those that continue to criminalize cannabis consumers. That’s according to a new survey published on Monday by real estate company Redfin.
Among those who recently moved to a new metro area, 46 percent said they prefer to reside somewhere marijuana is “fully legal,” compared to just 22 percent who want to live in a place with prohibition still in effect.
The survey, which involved 1,023 U.S. residents who moved to a new home during the 18 months prior to answering the questions in August, also asked about other issues such as abortion policy, voting rights and anti-discrimination laws for gender and sexual orientation.
Redfin said that while public policies on cannabis and other issues are important factors in deciding where to move, other considerations often take precedence.
