With a new Democratic majority in the state legislature, Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring is hoping to make major reforms to the state's cannabis laws.
Herring, who is hosting a cannabis summit on December 11, told Cheddar on Tuesday he is bringing together legislators and experts in an effort to push forward his calls for reform.
"I'm really encouraged about the prospect of actually passing decriminalization in Virginia and the prospect of actually passing a plan to move to legal and regulated adult use," he said.
Herring is hopeful that by providing lawmakers a space to ask questions and address concerns with experts, as well as individuals from states that have already legalized or decriminalized marijuana use, his state can move towards passing new legislation.
Marijuana arrests in Virginia hit a 20-year high in 2018, and enforcement costs the state more than $80 million annually, Herring said.
"In Virginia, an arrest and a criminal conviction stays with you your whole life … That's not fair," he said, noting the disproportionate number of black Virginians arrested for marijuana possession.
But he says he is confident Virginia can move forward "in a historic way."
A business venture gives people of all abilities a shot at employment, two sisters find a way to bring joy to kids battling cancer and how a viral post helped a rescue dog find a forever home.
The Supreme Court has ruled in favor of a photographer who claimed the late Andy Warhol had violated her copyright on a photograph of the singer Prince.
A man has been indicted by a grand jury on charges of stealing a pair of ruby red slippers worn by Judy Garland in “The Wizard of Oz,” federal prosecutors in North Dakota say. The shoes were stolen in 2005 and recovered in a 2018 FBI sting operation, but no arrests were made at the time.
Air hostess Nabira Sashmi and her mother are both flight attendants for Indigo, and on a recent flight on which they were both working, she delivered a speech over the loudspeaker about the first time she saw her mother in uniform.
In honor of Asian Pacific Islander Heritage Month, Cheddar's own Shannon LaNier sits down with chef Jordan Andino to discuss the finer points of Filipino cuisine.
