Advocates respond to call from Virginia AG to legalize marijuana

Virginia NORML, a marijuana law reform organization, said it is glad to hear Attorney Mark Herring's support, but it still wants to see things happen.

On Saturday, Herring wrote in an op-ed article that he believes Virginia should start decriminalizing possession of small amounts of marijuana and eventually legalize it.

Jenn Michelle Pedini, executive director of Virginia NORML, said she hopes Herring's statement will spur lawmakers to act.

"It's always important for an issue to have strong support within the administration," Pedini said. "But ultimately what really matters is how the state legislature feels about it."

According to Virginia NORML, since 2015 the number of people arrested for marijuana in Virginia has continued to increase. The organization said in 2018, close to 29,000 people were arrested for the drug.

We made a poll asking people around the valley if they think marijuana should be legalized. For a look at that poll, click

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