Title:
Virginia expungement bill fails by 1 vote; bad marijuana bills defeated as well
Message:
In a flurry of committee action in the Virginia General Assembly yesterday, three marijuana-related bills died. The Senate Committee for Courts of Justice voted 8-7 yesterday against S.B. 1048, Sen. L. Louise Lucas' (D-18) bill to allow first-time marijuana offenses to be expunged. Since the Senate defeated this bill, the House version -- H.B. 2278, sponsored by Del. Harvey Morgan (R-98) -- has been tabled.
A House Finance subcommittee killed H.B. 2754, which would have created an excise tax on marijuana. Additionally, the House Courts of Justice Subcommittee on Criminal Law voted against H.B. 1857. This bill would have increased the penalties for possession of marijuana on school property, including colleges and universities.
Thank you to everyone who took a moment to contact your legislators. Your phone calls and letters helped send the message to the General Assembly that Virginians are opposed to increasing penalties on marijuana users. MPP would especially like to thank Lennice Werth, Michael Krawitz, Roy Scherer, and the other activists who testified in support of sensible marijuana policy in the committee hearings yesterday.
Thank you for supporting the Marijuana Policy Project. Please pass this alert on to your friends, family, and neighbors so that even more Virginians can join in reform.
