RICHMOND, VA - Radical legislation doesn't usually come out of Gloucester, but Del. Harvey Morgan is pushing to reform Virginia's marijuana laws so that possessing small amounts of pot will bring only a civil fine instead of a criminal conviction.
Morgan, a long-serving Republican pharmacist from Gloucester, is sponsoring a pair of bills to overhaul how Virginia treats marijuana. One bill would decriminalize marijuana possession – turning a 30-day jail sentence into a $500 fine. The other bill would allow broader use of medical marijuana.
"I don't think either one will go very far to be honest," Morgan said Monday. "I've never smoked marijuana myself, but I'm a pharmacist so I feel I should be carrying this kind of legislation."
Morgan said he is expecting a significant amount of feedback and he hopes it triggers an adult conversation about the drug, which has gained a legal foothold on the West Coast. Morgan's effort faces long odds in a capitol where officials brandish "tough on crime" credentials.
Virginians busted with more than one ounce of weed would still face the criminal justice system, but anything under an ounce would be subject to a civil fine, much like a parking ticket.
"I want to stress that this isn't legalization," he said. "There will still be a penalty, it just won't scar you for life."
Lawmakers in state capitols around the country are wrestling with marijuana laws on a scale unmatched in recent years. Recent efforts to relax punishments for marijuana possession have focused largely on allowing sick people to use the drug as a treatment for diseases like cancer, glaucoma and AIDS. Some cash-strapped states have toyed with the idea of legalization as an avenue to raise money through taxes on marijuana sales.
Supporters of decriminalization efforts argue that marijuana is less harmful than alcohol and that prohibitions simply end up enriching criminals. Further, supporters say that legal restrictions on pot clog the judicial system with low-level users and gobble up police time, effort and energy.
Opponents of more mellow marijuana laws say the plant is a so-called "gateway drug" that puts users on a path to try more powerful and harmful drugs like ******* and ******. Further, opponents say, decriminalizing pot would give young people more incentive and opportunity to try it.
Morgan, however, said he wants Virginia to start considering changes because the state's current penalties for marijuana are too harsh. Three times Morgan has sponsored a bill that would have allowed someone convicted of marijuana possession to expunge the charge after 10 years. The bill failed to get out of committee twice in the House and died in the Senate a final time.
"If you're 18 and you get caught with even the smallest amount, it's a felony," Morgan said. "And a felony will stay on your record for the rest of your life."
Morgan's second proposal would allow people with different diseases to use marijuana for treatment. Current Virginia code allows patients suffering from cancer and glaucoma to use cannabis for treatment with a valid prescription from a medical doctor. Morgan said he wants to allow people who suffer from other ailments to use marijuana for treatment.
News Hawk- Weedpipe 420 Magazine - Cannabis Culture News & Reviews
Source: Daily Press
Author: Kimball Payne
Contact: dailypress.com
Copyright: 2010, Newport News, Va., Daily Press
Website:General Assembly: Change in marijuana law faces long odds in Richmond
Morgan, a long-serving Republican pharmacist from Gloucester, is sponsoring a pair of bills to overhaul how Virginia treats marijuana. One bill would decriminalize marijuana possession – turning a 30-day jail sentence into a $500 fine. The other bill would allow broader use of medical marijuana.
"I don't think either one will go very far to be honest," Morgan said Monday. "I've never smoked marijuana myself, but I'm a pharmacist so I feel I should be carrying this kind of legislation."
Morgan said he is expecting a significant amount of feedback and he hopes it triggers an adult conversation about the drug, which has gained a legal foothold on the West Coast. Morgan's effort faces long odds in a capitol where officials brandish "tough on crime" credentials.
Virginians busted with more than one ounce of weed would still face the criminal justice system, but anything under an ounce would be subject to a civil fine, much like a parking ticket.
"I want to stress that this isn't legalization," he said. "There will still be a penalty, it just won't scar you for life."
Lawmakers in state capitols around the country are wrestling with marijuana laws on a scale unmatched in recent years. Recent efforts to relax punishments for marijuana possession have focused largely on allowing sick people to use the drug as a treatment for diseases like cancer, glaucoma and AIDS. Some cash-strapped states have toyed with the idea of legalization as an avenue to raise money through taxes on marijuana sales.
Supporters of decriminalization efforts argue that marijuana is less harmful than alcohol and that prohibitions simply end up enriching criminals. Further, supporters say that legal restrictions on pot clog the judicial system with low-level users and gobble up police time, effort and energy.
Opponents of more mellow marijuana laws say the plant is a so-called "gateway drug" that puts users on a path to try more powerful and harmful drugs like ******* and ******. Further, opponents say, decriminalizing pot would give young people more incentive and opportunity to try it.
Morgan, however, said he wants Virginia to start considering changes because the state's current penalties for marijuana are too harsh. Three times Morgan has sponsored a bill that would have allowed someone convicted of marijuana possession to expunge the charge after 10 years. The bill failed to get out of committee twice in the House and died in the Senate a final time.
"If you're 18 and you get caught with even the smallest amount, it's a felony," Morgan said. "And a felony will stay on your record for the rest of your life."
Morgan's second proposal would allow people with different diseases to use marijuana for treatment. Current Virginia code allows patients suffering from cancer and glaucoma to use cannabis for treatment with a valid prescription from a medical doctor. Morgan said he wants to allow people who suffer from other ailments to use marijuana for treatment.
News Hawk- Weedpipe 420 Magazine - Cannabis Culture News & Reviews
Source: Daily Press
Author: Kimball Payne
Contact: dailypress.com
Copyright: 2010, Newport News, Va., Daily Press
Website:General Assembly: Change in marijuana law faces long odds in Richmond
