Virginia’s Senate president pro tempore has filed a bill to provide relief for people convicted of past cannabis crimes, mandating that individuals with certain offenses automatically receive resentencing hearings and have their punishments adjusted.
The legislation is similar to proposals passed by lawmakers in recent sessions that were vetoed by Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R). The incumbent governor, however, will be leaving office next month and will be replaced by Gov.-elect Abigail Spanberger (D), who supports marijuana reform.
The current proposal, filed on Monday by Sen. Louise Lucas (D), would create a process by which people who are incarcerated or on community supervision for certain felony offenses involving the possession, manufacture, selling or distribution of marijuana could receive an automatic hearing to consider modification of their sentences.
The measure applies to people whose convictions are for conduct that occurred prior to July 1, 2021, when a state law legalizing personal possession and home cultivation of marijuana went into effect.
“During his term, Governor Youngkin repeatedly rejected efforts to review and modify marijuana-related sentences,” JM Pedini, development director for the advocacy group NORML and executive director for Virginia NORML, told Marijuana Moment. “We’re ready to move this issue forward under the Spanberger
Read full article on Marijuana Moment
