Radio IQ is pretty amazing – they are central VA’s on 24 news/talk public radio station and they have some great success with local news.
Radio IQ is pretty amazing – they are central VA’s on 24 news/talk public radio station and they have some great success with local news.
They recently published a series of pieces on the current state of marijuana legalization in Virginia and it covers almost every angle you can think of. They examine the often treacherous nature of pot laws as they exist in our state today, the VA legislators who seek to change those laws, and the financial advantages that legal weed could bring to a state that has historically based a huge chunk of its economy on tobacco growth and trade.
PART 1: High Times or Up in Smoke?
“Marijuana is not the same kind of threat as other drugs are,” said Senator Adam Ebbin (D-Alexandria) when speaking to Radio IQ. Ebbin is one of the Virginia legislators trying to loosen weed laws in the state. “Roughly 25 million Americans smoked marijuana in the last year, and our public policy needs to reflect that reality rather than deny it.”
Many Virginians agree with this assessment of pot’s perception in today’s society, with a recent poll by the Marijuana Policy Project indicating that 60% agree with decriminalizing weed altogether, and 75% voting in favor of legal medical marijuana. Senator Ebbin told Radio IQ, “We’re spending $67 million a year to disrupt the lives of tens of thousands of Virginians, and it’s not making the Commonwealth any safer.”
PART 2: Prospects for Legalizing Pot in Virginia
The advantages of pot legalization could extend beyond simply pleasing constituents. States like Washington and Colorado have decriminalized weed, and today, they are projected to take in at least $800 million in tax revenue from the plant over the next few years.
Along with the money Virginia stands to gain from legalizing marijuana, the costs that go into putting someone away for pot possession are seen by many as excessive.
PART 3: Are the Kids Alright?
Richmond lawyer Bill Linka told Radio IQ that it costs about “$80-$100 a day to lock somebody up”, and with the costs of state laboratory testing and having police officers, the jury, security, the judge, and the rest of the courthouse personnel all in attendance, “even if they spend five minutes on a case, that’s a fairly large chunk of taxpayer money to give some kid a hard time over $5 worth of marijuana.”
Today’s laws see marijuana as a much bigger threat than the public might, however: being caught with over half an ounce could mean up to 10 years of jail time and a fine of up to $2,500, and being convicted with possession of any amount of pot means an automatic revocation of your driver’s license, which is especially hard on those whose jobs depend on a commercial driver’s license.
PART 4: Money & Medicine
Police in Virginia arrest more than 20,000 people a year for weed possession, and according to WVTF’s series, we’re “one of 16 states where the numbers have been rising. Statewide, pot-related arrests were up more than 5% from 2012 to 2013 – the fourth consecutive year of increase.”
Senator Ebbin and Delegate David Albo (R-Fairfax County) are among the biggest proponents for looser weed laws in Virginia. Albo has introduced House Bill 1445, which would make it legal for patients to use marijuana if their doctors suggest it for glaucoma, cancer, or epilepsy. Ebbin’s Senate Bill 686 would impose a hundred dollar fine for possession of less than half an ounce of marijuana, as opposed to the current fine of $500 for a first offense, and it would make the possible 30 day jail sentence completely out of the question.
PART 5: Sales Potential
The Virginia legislature heard Ebbin’s bill last night and referred it back to the same committee for a second hearing. But even with a majority of Virginians agreeing marijuana possession should not be seen as a criminal act, be it for medical or recreational purposes, the Commonwealth’s conservative roots are sure to put up a fight against any new legislation.
When asked about the issue by Radio IQ, Richard Bonnie, a professor of law at UVA who sat on a federal commission that recommended decriminalization in 1972, said that he is “flabbergasted that it has taken 40 years for people to realize that punishing people in jail and giving them criminal records for using marijuana just makes no sense.”
