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Virginia Just Decriminalized Marijuana

Old 'N Chill

Old 'N Chill

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This might be a step in the right direction, but IMO, it should have been completely legalized nationwide a long time ago.

Virginia just decriminalized marijuana

The state is the 27th to decriminalize or legalize marijuana.

On Sunday, Gov. Ralph Northam (D) announced he signed a bill that will eliminate jail time for simple marijuana possession, leaving only a civil penalty with a fine in place for the first offense. Northam previously said decriminalization was a priority for him, and the newly elected Democratic-controlled legislature soon followed his lead.

This is not full marijuana legalization. Under decriminalization, penalties carrying jail or prison time are removed, but lower-level penalties, like a fine, remain in place and sales remain illegal. Under legalization, all penalties for marijuana possession are removed, and sales are typically allowed.


Some opponents of legalization favor decriminalization as a step toward peeling back America’s harsh drug and criminal justice policies. They see “tough on crime” policies as too punitive and costly, but they don’t want to resort to full legalization, which they fear would make pot too accessible in the US and allow big corporations to sell and market the drug irresponsibly.
The concern for legalization advocates is that decriminalization keeps the ban on selling marijuana, which means users wouldn’t have a legal source for the drug, and criminal organizations would therefore still have a source of revenue they can use for violent operations around the world. The fines, while less punitive than arrests or prison time, can also cause problems, since they’re often applied in a racially disparate manner.


Some activists, including the Virginia chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, oppose the decriminalization measure on similar grounds: They fear that the bill doesn’t do enough to dismantle the status quo of prohibition, preferring lawmakers legalize outright instead of taking smaller steps.
But state lawmakers and other activists argued that some progress is better than none. So after Democrats this year took control of Virginia’s legislature for the first time in decades, they moved to decriminalize.
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Virginia just decriminalized marijuana - Vox
 
bluesmoke said:
You elect a lbrl Dem admin and the place goes to pot.
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Not only Cannabis, but all drugs should be 'legal.' We have enough true criminals that we don't need to create more out of otherwise good and just people because they don't imbibe on socially acceptable and/or prescribed mind and body altering substances. It would be a far different thing if drug laws were enacted to directly protect victims and help addicts and the few who are most negatively impacted by certain chemicals; instead we have turned a mostly medical issue into a criminal one to enable control of one system or group of people by another. As a 'free' person, one should be able to choose what to put in their own bodies, and also have the free will to choose not to break just laws that result in harm or consequence to others.

One of the biggest reasons police departments have become militarized is because of the War-On-Drugs and subsequent laws; police and the DEA were given the 'right' to break down doors, invade private homes and lives, arrest (often in unnecessarily brutal fashion), try, convict, and incarcerate just about anyone, and confiscate personal property with the blessings of drug legislation. In the middle of the last century most Americans deservedly trusted, respected, and befriended police; now most fear them, loath them, and avoid contact with police unless there is no other alternative.

Plus, the W.O.D. didn't work, but few that can fix it will admit it.
 
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Pot = INCREDIBLY dangerous & addictive drug

But it should be decriminalized.
 
All the cookie aisles in all the grocery stores in Virginia will now look like the toilet paper aisles
 
3leftsdoo said:
Pot = INCREDIBLY dangerous & addictive drug

But it should be decriminalized.
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Far less addictive and far less dangerous than nicotine or alcohol, though.
 
The Old Soul said:
Not only Cannabis, but all drugs should be 'legal.' We have enough true criminals that we don't need to create more out of otherwise good and just people because they don't imbibe on socially acceptable and/or prescribed mind and body altering substances. It would be a far different thing if drug laws were enacted to directly protect victims and help addicts and the few who are most negatively impacted by certain chemicals; instead we have turned a mostly medical issue into a criminal one to enable control of one system or group of people by another. As a 'free' person, one should be able to choose what to put in their own bodies, and also have the free will to choose not to break just laws that result in harm or consequence to others.

One of the biggest reasons police departments have become militarized is because of the War-On-Drugs and subsequent laws; police and the DEA were given the 'right' to break down doors, invade private homes and lives, arrest (often in unnecessarily brutal fashion), try, convict, and incarcerate just about anyone, and confiscate personal property with the blessings of drug legislation. In the middle of the last century most Americans deservedly trusted, respected, and befriended police; now most fear them, loath them, and avoid contact with police unless there is no other alternative.

Plus, the W.O.D. didn't work, but few that can fix it will admit it.
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If they legalized drugs, then the CIA would have no way to traffic in drugs! ;)
 
The Old Soul said:
Not only Cannabis, but all drugs should be 'legal.' We have enough true criminals that we don't need to create more out of otherwise good and just people because they don't imbibe on socially acceptable and/or prescribed mind and body altering substances. It would be a far different thing if drug laws were enacted to directly protect victims and help addicts and the few who are most negatively impacted by certain chemicals; instead we have turned a mostly medical issue into a criminal one to enable control of one system or group of people by another. As a 'free' person, one should be able to choose what to put in their own bodies, and also have the free will to choose not to break just laws that result in harm or consequence to others.

One of the biggest reasons police departments have become militarized is because of the War-On-Drugs and subsequent laws; police and the DEA were given the 'right' to break down doors, invade private homes and lives, arrest (often in unnecessarily brutal fashion), try, convict, and incarcerate just about anyone, and confiscate personal property with the blessings of drug legislation. In the middle of the last century most Americans deservedly trusted, respected, and befriended police; now most fear them, loath them, and avoid contact with police unless there is no other alternative.

Plus, the W.O.D. didn't work, but few that can fix it will admit it.
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Well said, I agree with everything. The "war on drugs" was always bogus, useless and a failure anyway.
 
lwf said:
Far less addictive and far less dangerous than nicotine or alcohol, though.
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...and a lot of prescription drugs that are pushed on people.
 
The Old Soul said:
Not only Cannabis, but all drugs should be 'legal.' We have enough true criminals that we don't need to create more out of otherwise good and just people because they don't imbibe on socially acceptable and/or prescribed mind and body altering substances. It would be a far different thing if drug laws were enacted to directly protect victims and help addicts and the few who are most negatively impacted by certain chemicals; instead we have turned a mostly medical issue into a criminal one to enable control of one system or group of people by another. As a 'free' person, one should be able to choose what to put in their own bodies, and also have the free will to choose not to break just laws that result in harm or consequence to others.

One of the biggest reasons police departments have become militarized is because of the War-On-Drugs and subsequent laws; police and the DEA were given the 'right' to break down doors, invade private homes and lives, arrest (often in unnecessarily brutal fashion), try, convict, and incarcerate just about anyone, and confiscate personal property with the blessings of drug legislation. In the middle of the last century most Americans deservedly trusted, respected, and befriended police; now most fear them, loath them, and avoid contact with police unless there is no other alternative.

Plus, the W.O.D. didn't work, but few that can fix it will admit it.
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Most Euro countries treat drugs as a health concern, not a criminal concern as we do.
 
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