April 21, 2021 - Herring Celebrates Marijuana Legalization in Virginia
Commonwealth of Virginia Office of the Attorney General
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Mark Herring Attorney General |
202 North Ninth Street Richmond, Virginia 23219 |
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RICHMOND – Attorney General Mark R. Herring issued the below statement celebrating marijuana legalization in Virginia:
“Today is such an important day on the Commonwealth’s journey to becoming a more equitable place for all Virginians,” said Attorney General Herring. “I have been calling for reforming Virginia’s marijuana laws and addressing past convictions and to see how closely Virginia has come to reaching my goals in such a short amount of time is remarkable. For too long, the Commonwealth’s cannabis policies have disproportionately affected Black Virginians and Virginians of color, saddling them with convictions that could potentially hold them back for the rest of their lives.
“I’m incredibly proud to have played a role in changing Virginia’s archaic and discriminatory marijuana laws and I want to thank my legislative partners, especially House Majority Leader Charniele Herring and Senator Adam Ebbin, as well as the strong advocates, who helped to make our goals a reality in the Commonwealth.”
During the 2021 General Assembly Session, Attorney General Herring helped successfully move Virginia towards legal, regulated adult use of cannabis, after he become the leader on cannabis reform in Virginia following his call for decriminalization of small amounts of marijuana, action to address past convictions, and a move towards legal and regulated adult use. In his call for cannabis reform, he cited the unnecessary negative impact of a criminal conviction for possession, the expense and social costs of enforcing the current system, and the disparate impact on African Americans and people and communities of color. Attorney General Herring reiterated his call for reform when data from 2018 showed a record number of arrests for marijuana possession. In December 2019, Attorney General Herring held a cannabis summit for policymaking stakeholders in Virginia that focused on policy and included experts from attorneys generals’ offices, state agencies and legislative operations in states that have legalized cannabis, as well as cannabis policy experts.
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