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."
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Here are the headlines you Need2Know for Wednesday, July 22, 2020.
As the coronavirus pandemic drags on, a new poll from NORC at the University of Chicago finds it's having different effects on Americans’ economic well-being.
Oxford University announced that its vaccine trial with AstraZeneca is showing promising results. Congress is back in session and lawmakers are debating another stimulus package. What we know so far on the shooting of Judge Esther Salas's family. And SNL could be returning to the studio in the fall.
Former Education Secretary Margaret Spellings talks about the chaos around the issues of reopening schools amid the pandemic.
Hundreds of workers are rallying outside the Trump International Hotel in Manhattan and the Massachusetts Statehouse to protest systemic racism and economic inequality.
No one can go to concerts, so it seems they've decided to make their own music. Searches for and purchases of musical instruments and music editing software have been increasing during the coronavirus crisis.
The Amal, or Hope, orbiter is the Arab world’s first interplanetary mission.
