“We find that state legalization of recreational marijuana substantially reduced the arrests and disciplinary incidents for drug law violations. … The decreases in arrests after legalization are especially steep at public institutions [and at] four-year institutions.”
Vermont is the third state this year to significantly increase adult-use marijuana possession limits.
Under current law, possessing up to one ounce of cannabis is legal, but possessing between one and two ounces is classified as a criminal misdemeanor – punishable by up to six months in jail and a $500 fine.
“These findings add to the already robust evidence documenting the opioid-sparing effects of cannabis and highlight the role legal cannabis access can play in mitigating the public health burden associated with the use of prescription and non-prescription opiates.”
NORML argues that the hearing record will be incomplete unless it includes the perspective of adult cannabis consumers — the constituency NORML has represented for more than fifty years.
“Regulation works. That is among the many reasons why voters prefer these policies over a return to criminal prohibition and why there exists little to no appetite among the public to reverse these voter-approved adult-use legalization laws.”
Virginia NORML is also promoting a separate action alert encouraging voters to contact the Governor’s office. To date, nearly 2,000 communications have been sent by Virginia voters.
“Today’s order marks a historical reversal in federal cannabis policy. It validates the experiences of tens of millions of Americans, as well as those of tens of thousands of physicians, who have long recognized that cannabis possesses legitimate medical utility, as well as the legitimacy of the longstanding medical cannabis access programs available in the majority of US states.”