Virginia is for medical marijuana lovers, with 84 percent of registered voters polled in a recent Quinnipiac University Polling Institute study saying they want legal access for sick Virginians.
But support for medical marijuana doesn’t equal support for the recreational use of cannabis, with 46 percent of people in the same poll agreeing that adult use be tolerated. That could shift in the next few years, however. Seventy-one percent of voters aged 18 to 29 said they want to legalize cannabis.
That could be due to the overwhelming perception that marijuana is as dangerous a substance as alcohol, which is completely untrue. Only 36 percent agreed that marijuana is less dangerous than booze.
Yet, if marijuana was legalized 62 percent said they wouldn’t care if their neighbors grew it in their homes.
Interestingly, only 39 percent said they had ever even tried pot. That numbers seems a little low, and the fact that marijuana penalties in Virginia may have a chilling effect on whether or not you’d admit to using it to a complete stranger over the phone.
Less than a half-ounce is a misdemeanor charge with a possible 30 days in jail on first offense and up to year on subsequent offenses. More than a half-ounce probably means you’re selling in the eyes of the law, so you’re looking at felony charges and anywhere from a mandatory year in jail to a full ten years in jail for 5 pounds or less. You could be looking at life in jail for more than that.