News Virginia budget leaders include new marijuana crime in spending plan

[thegreenhand]

Virginia budget leaders include new marijuana crime in spending plan​

Patrick Wilson
Richmond Times-Dispatch
29 May 2022

Virginia legislative leaders on Sunday evening revealed budget language that would create a new criminal misdemeanor in state law for possession of more than four ounces of marijuana in public.

Marijuana reform groups immediately called for lawmakers to stand down and stop finding new ways to criminalize Virginians who use marijuana.

The provision will be the third time this year that state lawmakers have considered creating new crimes for marijuana possession.

The proposal comes within the proposal for a new two-year state budget - which became publicly available online Sunday evening. The General Assembly will convene Wednesday in special session to consider the budget. The language on marijuana - like much of the budget agreement on the table - followed discussions that were not held in public.

Full article here.

 

[JoshLobbs]

That's lame

 

[Cream Gravy?]

Yeah but... who walks around with a QP in their pocket? Drug possession of any sort should be 100% legal but criminalizing the possession of a QP+ is obviously just an attempt to target black market dealers.

 

[thegreenhand]

That’s a good point

But I guess I would argue that there is no limit on how much alcohol I can have in my possession, so why should there be a limit for marijuana? Granted alcohol has a much much smaller black market, but I think on principle the point still stands

Perhaps a good compromise would be if you can show proof of purchase (i.e. still in original unopened packaging) from a licensed dispensary, then the 4 oz limit is removed. But unmarked weed would still be subject to this new proposed law

 

[thegreenhand]

Although I’m realizing now that wouldn’t work for home growers, so maybe not lol

 

[Cream Gravy?]

Yeah you ain't wrong, like I said it shouldn't be illegal in the first place. But if I were a Virginian I wouldn't be bothered, the last time I had a QP in my pocket was when Mexican Brick was prevalent back in the early 20-teens.

It should be 100% legal to have twenty tons of any drug on your person, but lawmakers will never accept that, and at least a QP is a pretty damn high margin for a mere misdemeanor.

 

[thegreenhand]

According to the article, however, this is a class of misdemeanor that appears on your record