Virginia has sealed 64,000 cannabis distribution fees

Since July, when cannabis legalization in the Commonwealth officially went into effect, more than 64,000 criminal charges related to the distribution of cannabis have been sealed in Virginia.

The number came about last Thursday “during a session of the legislature’s cannabis oversight commission,” according to Virginia Mercury.

“Officials said the records were purged from the state criminal records database used by employers such as school boards, state agencies and local governments to review employees,” the website reported, coming after Virginia “already has 333,000 records of details had sealed to the charges ”. of simple possession in the past year, after the state had reduced the crime to a civil law violation on par with a traffic offense. “

In April, Virginia Governor Ralph Northam signed a bill making the state the first in the South to legalize the use of cannabis for adults, a fairer and fairer Virginia and reform our criminal justice system to make it fairer. “

“What this really means is that people are no longer arrested or punished for simple possessions that follow them and affect their lives,” Northam said at a press conference at the time. “We know that marijuana laws in Virginia and across the country have been disproportionately enforced against color communities and low-income Virginians.”

Although retail sales in Virginia are likely years away, the new law went into effect July 1. On that day, adults in the Commonwealth could legally own up to an ounce of cannabis and grow up to four weed plants at home.

Since then, Virginia’s new law has continued to take shape. Weeks after it went into effect on July 1, Northam announced “appointments to the three newly created bodies responsible for overseeing recreational marijuana legalization in the Commonwealth.”

The act created a regulator known as the Cannabis Control Authority that will oversee the state’s new marijuana market.

“In the years ahead, the Board will work to establish a fair and equitable regulatory structure and provide critical guidance to CCA staff as they work to develop a workforce, regulate, and ensure legalization of Marijuana achieves established health, safety and justice goals by law. Board members are not allowed to have any financial interests in the cannabis industry, ”the governor’s office said at the time.

The Cannabis Control Authority has stated that it “will not be legal to sell marijuana before January 1, 2024”.

“While the cannabis control agency can begin its work on July 1, 2021, it will take some time for the agency to hire staff, issue regulations and introduce equality and safety initiatives,” the agency said. “Also, many of the regulatory sections of the bill will need to be re-enacted (re-approved) by the 2022 General Assembly before they become law.”

After announcing the five board appointments, Northam said, “Virginia is committed to legalizing cannabis the right way – by learning from other states, listening to public health and safety experts, and putting social justice first.”

“There is a tremendous amount of work ahead of us in building an adult marijuana market in our Commonwealth and I am proud to appoint these talented Virginians with diverse backgrounds, incredible expertise and a shared commitment to public service “important effort,” Northam said in a statement.

The sealing of the misdemeanor charge last week is part of “the broader extermination reform of the Virginia Legislature that will automatically seal other misdemeanor charges, including underage possession of alcohol, use of fake ID, petty theft, trespassing and disorderly behavior ”. the Virginia Mercury.

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