Marijuana arrests in Virginia hit their highest levels in at least 20 years in 2018, a climb that has sparked calls for overhauls and bucked trends in a number of other states that have moved toward decriminalizing the drug.
Nearly 29,000 arrests were made for marijuana offenses in Virginia last year, a number that has tripled since 1999, according to an annual crime report compiled by Virginia State Police.
Marijuana busts accounted for nearly 60% of drug arrests across Virginia and more than half of them were among people who were younger than 24, according to the data. The vast majority of cases involved simple possession of marijuana.
The forces driving the increase in enforcement are not well studied, but the spike has renewed calls to decriminalize marijuana by some lawmakers and Attorney General Mark Herring, a Democrat, who generated headlines last month when he became the state’s highest official to call for legalizing marijuana for recreational use.
“The numbers are staggering,” Herring said. “An arrest and conviction like this stays with someone for the rest of their lives. More than half of those arrests were for young people. It limits housing, education and employment opportunities.”
Herring also pointed to a 2017 study showing a racial disparity in marijuana enforcement in the state. The Virginia Crime Commission found that 46% of those arrested for a first offense for possession of marijuana between 2007 and 2016 were African Americans, who represent about 20% of Virginia’s population.
Herring wants to decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana, pardon and expunge past convictions for marijuana possession and establish a framework to guide recreational use and sales of marijuana in the state.
Efforts to overhaul enforcement of marijuana laws have been repeatedly stymied by the state’s Republican-controlled legislature in recent years.
Dana Schrad, executive director of the Virginia Association of Chiefs of Police, said highlighting arrest figures does not tell the full story of how the state is handling marijuana cases.
“What you really need to know is how they pled or were they diverted,” Schrad said. “An arrest alone doesn’t mean that everyone went to jail. There is a myth that we are packing the jails with possession cases. The prison sentences are going to distributors.”
Schrad said the increase in arrests could be in part an artifact of better reporting by police departments in recent years. Schrad said VACP is taking a wait-and-see approach.
Eleven states and the District of Columbia have legalized pot for recreational use, while others have lessened penalties for being caught with the drug. Virginia has taken steps on medical marijuana, granting permission for five producers to begin selling THC-infused products this year.
In Virginia, a first conviction for possessing marijuana is a misdemeanor that can result in up to 30 days in jail and a $500 fine. Subsequent arrests can result in up to 12 months in jail and a $2,500 fine. A defendant’s driver’s license is also revoked for six months for a drug conviction.
The Virginia Crime Commission study found that only 31 people were in jail in July 2017 solely for a conviction of possessing marijuana in the state. The libertarian Cato Institute estimated Virginia spent $81 million on marijuana enforcement in 2016.
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I keep waiting for the media who generally support liberalizing the sale and use of marijuana to engage in an objective and factual discussion about the potential increases in impaired driving.
Hey hypocrites go have a cocktail and get over yourselves. $81 million spent...what a waste.
It is really sad that people are arrested for weed/ pot when the other states that decriminalized marijuana have seen an overall decrease in total crime. People are driving across an imaginary line 90 miles up the road to are nations capital to get marijuana and its perfectly legal and non problematic.It will be legalized nationwide as soon as the politics are put aside.Check the statistics on the states where it is legalized, I again leave you with a quote from Joe Rogan "Prison is for rapists, thieves, and murderers. If you lock someone up for smoking a plant that makes them happy, then you're the freaking criminal."
As usual, this does calls for a reform …. because people cannot control themselves. Kind of reminds me of an Andy Griffifth epesode where some baby birds, whose mother was killed by Opie were finally released, and as sad as Opie was, Andy said, "Aren't the trees nice and full" ….. The same will be said after we empty the prisons, with the streets nice and full of law breakers, but hoping they can behave themselves this time, whereas the birds were innocent all along. Hallelujah, and period.
In the immortal words of Steven A. Smith “Stop smoking the weeeeeeeedah”
Stop drinking alcohol Brian.
I think we pretty much can all agree that Virginians as well as the other states in this country want to see Cannabis completely legalized. It is obvious that ending Prohibition is long over due, and it is sad that so many peoples lives have been ruined from repercussions of partaking and dealing with a plant that grows naturally from the earth. It has been proven to be great for many medicinal purposes such as pain,anxiety ,alzheimers,cancer glaucoma, ptsd, depression, etc as well as recreational use and is way less dangerous than Alcohol and Tobacco .At this point it is obvious the only reason it is not completely legal is because the state hasn't figured out how to tax it and make it more profitable than arresting harmless people {mainly African Americans} to fill these private prisons. Nobody has ever died from smoking pot, and adults who partake in it are really harmless and peaceful. The laws simply don't make sense and its alarming when the Washington Post has to chime in for us to begin to take this serious. Also Altria aka Phillip Morris which is based right here In Richmond just spent 3 billion dollars investing in marijuana to takeover when this process is finally complete.In the mean time the users and distributors (dealers) should no longer be jailed or sent to prison, if I'm ever called to jury duty I and hope all Virginians will exercise Jury Nullification for all marijuana related offenses. I leave you with this quote from Joe Rogan "Prison is for rapists, thieves, and murderers. If you lock someone up for smoking a plant that makes them happy, then you're the freaking criminal."
UM, NO, many Virginians do NOT want to see marijuana legalized especially not for recreational use. If marijuana is ever legalized then someone who uses it should have to surrender their drivers license and be prohibited from driving (that would work for me for alcoholics as well) and using it around children and young people, or neglecting their care while on it, should be a felony (don't smoke it around me either if you don't want to suddenly get wet ;>). Also, even if marijuana is ever legalized employers are still not going to want to employ people who use it especially those who try to come to work stoned "high" on it.
Prohibition didn't work for alcohol, and the criminalization of marijuana has only created misery and broken dreams for millions of Americans. The problems you lay out have not happened in the states where it has been legalized. Please educate yourself on the actual outcomes of marijuana legalization rather than focusing on your preconceived biases. Although no drug, from aspirin to alcohol, is free of risk, the real tragedy of the criminalization of marijuana is how it has broken generations of young American's lives. I hope you will reconsider your views once you have learned more about the facts. Thanks.
Fifty percent of the DUI convictions in Colorado are obtained because of excessive THC levels.
Please don't hold your breath until he changes his mind. You'll die! It's obvious he is from another time in history, not just on this topic.
Fifty percent of the DUI convictions in Colorado are obtained because of excessive THC levels.
M. Mertz, please show the source for your claim. In two minutes I found the following statistic of only 8% of DUIs in Colorado were for marijuana use alone in the first two years after decriminilization, not the"fifty percent" you claimed. If you have more recent data please share it. If you cannot support your claim, then please refrain from talking about something you know nothing about and spreading fake news that only serves to misinform others. "In 2014 and 2015, under 15 percent of all DUIs by state troopers involved the suspected use of marijuana -- with or without other substances. Only 8 percent involved marijuana alone. Even though marijuana is legal in the state now for adults, there are many more arrests for DUIs involving alcohol and drugs other than marijuana. From 2014 to 2015, the number of DUIs involving marijuana decreased slightly -- 1.3 percent. However, more data will be needed to see if that will be a trend in the future. a in In 2014 and 2015, under 15 percent of all DUIs by state troopers involved the suspected use of marijuana -- with or without other substances. Only 8 percent involved marijuana alone. Even though marijuana is legal in the state now for adults, there are many more arrests for DUIs involving alcohol and drugs other than marijuana. From 2014 to 2015, the number of DUIs involving marijuana decreased slightly -- 1.3 percent. However, more data will be needed to see if that will be a trend in the future."
Fred, Randall is correct about the 50% of DUIs. You may have gotten your % from a source you trusted, but they mislead you badly. I do not remember the actual numbers but Randall's seem to be what I remember. Fred, you can verify online fairly easily.
Drug gangsters salute you for allowing them to maintain their criminal lifestyles.
It will be legalized and it is only a matter of time. All across the country. Good post but I believe politics remain a factor in slowing the approval process.
Well for you Potheads, ask an addict what was the first drug they ever tried....you guessed it marijuana. More studies are coming in all the time about the long term ill effects of marijuana use. Another problem is toddlers etc. are getting hold of candy laced marijuana products thus they are ending up in the ER. Herring talks about the Blacks getting arrested for it more...DUH! They use it more! Just like a lot of crime Blacks commit the offenses more. Marijuana should not be legalized as the border states that don't have filed suit against Colorado because their DUID is increasing and they would in Virginia. JUST DON"T SMOKE WEED and then it doesn't become a problem.
Didn't take you long to show your bias. Not only are you obviously a pitiful excuse of a human being (if you aren't a bot) but it is thoroughly established that the same percentage of lacks and whites smoke marijuana. That means that the number of whites who smoke marijuana greatly outnumber black people who imbibe, but blacks are arrested and incarcerated at a much higher rate. To an objective observer, that fact would be one proof of racism in this country. Your ignorant post is another example.
Studies I have read say alcohol is the first drug used by future drug addicts. Is this a surprise that a heroin user first tried a Budweiser before sticking a needle in his arm? Do you therefore believe a Bud or a Miller leads to heroin addiction.
RTD did not allow replies to your 7:10 opinion "best justice system the world has ever known" and it is an opinion. It may be the best, for those educated to manipulate it.
Yes, Howard, we express opinions here. As you did.
Your obviously racist, so sad. Studies have shown that whites smoke just as much weed if not more as blacks. Minorities however are arrested and convicted at a higher rate due to racial bias in law enforcement and the judicial system. Systematic oppression is still very much alive here in the capital of the confederacy, may god have mercy on your soul. And once again I leave you with this quote from Joe Rogan (who happens to be white) "Prison is for rapists, thieves, and murderers. If you lock someone up for smoking a plant that makes them happy, then you're the freaking criminal."
Ya lost me here, Johnathan. Biases are an obvious truth, but the inequality of our justice system is based on socio-economic reasons. A child of wealthy black parents will fare better than a child from a white poor, broken home. Justice in America is far from perfect as we will always continue to seek to improve it. Perfection is not remotely possible. However in 2019, it remains the best justice system the world has ever seen.
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