Virginia Crime Data Shows Surge in Marijuana Arrests
Marijuana-related arrestsincreased over 20 percentbetween the years 2016 and 2017, according to crime data compiled by the Virginia State Police.
Law enforcement officials made27,852 arrestsfor marijuana violations, according to the report up from21,637in 2016. At that time, Virginia ranked sixth in the nation for total marijuana arrests (trailing behind Texas, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Missouri), andfifteenthoverall in per capita marijuana arrests.
Overall, some 70 percent of all drug arrests in Virginia in 2017 were marijuana related.
Under state law, the possession of any amount of cannabis is defined as acriminal misdemeanor, punishable by up to 30 days in jail and a criminal record. A bill introduced during the 2018 legislative session that sought to decriminalize minor marijuana possession offenses wasdefeatedin committee in January on a party line vote, with all Republicans voting against the bill.
Eight out of tenVirginians support decriminalization, fines not crimes, for possession of small amounts of marijuana, said Jenn Michelle Pedini, executive director ofVirginia NORML. This drastic increase in arrests is completely out of step with public opinion. Law enforcement resources would be better directed towards preventing and solving violent crimes with the passage of a decriminalization bill ...
