“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.”
Under the measure, state-licensed retailers will begin selling cannabis products to those age 21 or older on July 1, 2027.
“These findings are consistent with those from other adult-use legal states, which show steep declines in marijuana use by young people following the adoption of regulated, age-restricted markets.”
Federal law enforcement officials in 2025 charged fewer than 400 people with marijuana trafficking, the lowest total ever.
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.
“Liberalizing marijuana laws continues to be a policy that is widely favored by voters. Elected officials who refuse to take action to end cannabis criminalization, or who vote stand in the way of these reform efforts, do so at their own political peril.”
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.
“After years of similar efforts being blocked under the previous administration, Virginia now has a process to revisit cannabis sentences that no longer reflect current law; families who have been waiting will finally have a path home.”