The General Assembly is going to review legislation that could advance the state’s cannabis framework
Virginia has adopted a legal status for marijuana two years ago. While the market has performed well so far, the Virginia State Crime Commission believes that several changes to the rules are now necessary. The decision was made through a vote that took place this week.
It appears that alcohol will not be the only automatic and thorough testing of blood drawn from DUI investigations. Cannabis will now also be part of this process, in an effort to safeguard the common welfare of the state’s society.
In addition, lawmakers were required to include funds in the budget for different police officers to be able to recognize drug impairment on the road. Training these members will be an essential step for the state to maintain order, especially now that the demand for marijuana is on the rise at the end of the year.
Even though the recommendations were approved unanimously, several members of the commission, an arm of the General Assembly that recommends changes to the full legislature, failed to find common ground on several more controversial proposals earlier this week. Recommendations that included an effort to restore police authority in certain investigations to search vehicles based solely on the odor of marijuana were derailed thanks to the opinion of three Senate Democrats.
This law has been in place since last year and has made it impossible for police officers to search cars simply for the smell of cannabis. Old Dominion police now hope to make an exception to the rule because they believe it is appropriate to have the authority to search a car if it emanates the odor of marijuana.
That smell, it says, indicates that a driver may be under the influence of drugs. At the end of a lengthy debate on Monday, the Crime Commission ultimately decided not to include that change in its list of recommendations.