Virginia Prosecutor to Dismiss Most Cannabis Possession Offenses

[dropcap class=”kp-dropcap”]V[/dropcap]irginia officials decided to decriminalize cannabis, and according to The Washington Post, most cannabis possession charges will soon be dismissed in the state.

The Virginian-Pilot reported last week that the office of Portsmouth Commonwealth’s Attorney Stephanie Morales confirmed that she will no longer take legal action against most cannabis possession cases. Portsmouth attorneys have already started the process of dropping all pending cases of this nature and the city’s General District Court bench is backing their effort. Nevertheless as per law, the accused would still require to pay a court fee of $165 each despite their case dismissal.

“I think we have a need for decriminalization and some restorative justice here,” Morales has stated in an interview. She has also said that there are more serious crimes out there that they should be focusing on at the moment. Her office consists of 17 prosecutors including herself and she believes that their already scarce resources should be spent on cases that demand more attention. “We have really heavy caseloads, body cameras to watch and of course murder cases to handle. It’s a lot,” Morales said.

On the other hand, Portsmouth Interim Police Chief Angela Greene responded to the decision by saying that her staff will continue to make arrests for such offenses. Morales said that prosecutors will make an exception and possibly consider cannabis possession charges provided they are filed in Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court. “Once a case is brought before the courts for trial, it is up to the members of our judicial system . . . to determine the appropriate penalties for the criminal offense,” she commented. “As we move forward and current criminal laws change, we will continue to do our due diligence as law enforcement officers to make arrests when applicable and continue working with our existing judicial partners to ensure we are providing increased safety and quality of life for the citizens we serve.”