NORML’s Jenn Michelle Pedini shares how they got the state’s conservative legislature to craft one of the American South’s most comprehensive medical marijuana bills to date
Tag: Virginia
Three new laws intended to expand patient access to and the therapeutic value of Virginia’s medical cannabis program take effect July 1, 2019.
Marijuana-related arrests in Virginia increased over 20 percent between the years 2016 and 2017, according to crime data compiled by the State Police. Overall, some 70 percent of all drug arrests in Virginia in 2017 were marijuana related.
Members of Virginia NORML played an instrumental role in the recent passage of legislation that will expand Virginia’s limited medical marijuana program from a single qualifying disorder program to include any diagnosed condition.
It is once again election night in America. While 2017 doesn’t feature any statewide marijuana initiatives, there are still a number of races to watch tonight that will impact marijuana law reform efforts across the nation.
African Americans in Virginia are arrested for violating marijuana possession laws at more than three times the rates of whites and this disparity is rising, according to an analysis of statewide arrest data by Virginia Commonwealth University’s Capital News Service. Researchers reviewed 160,000 state and local arrest records from the years 2010 through 2016. They found that blacks were 2.9 times as likely as whites to be arrested for possessing marijuana in 2010, but 3.2 times as likely to be arrested by 2016.
We’ve got several legislative updates from around the country this week. Click here to get the latest in marijuana law reform!
Legislative sessions around the country are moving quickly with several already coming to a close. It’s important to stay updated on pending measures in your state because NOW is the time to contact your elected officials using our #TakeAction Center urging their support for marijuana law reform. Click here to get this week’s latest legislative highlights!