Drug Crimes Attorney in Alexandria, Virginia

What are the big changes in the law and prosecution of marijuana cases?

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I’m a member of the Normal Legal Committee that’s a national organization for a formal marijuana laws. I’ve been in favor of marijuana legalization, you know, since I was a teenager and finally, I think everyone’s kind of knows this the law is starting to catch up with the way it should be, in my view. Many, many states not quite sure exactly how many but it could be 25 have come close to total legalization or at least medical marijuana legalization. Virginia is not one of those states so Virginia still has the same marijuana criminal laws on the books as ever. However, because the trend in the United States is as it is it’s very noticeable that even in Virginia things have become more lenient on marijuana. Because of the politics of it, it’s very rare for someone to go to jail for possession of marijuana and usually, if they don’t have a bad record it’s quite easy to get a case dismissed if someone does some community service or something. So the attitudes have been changing about that. When it comes to more of a big marijuana case like multiple pounds or hundreds of pounds those are still being prosecuted and always will be and those can still carry severe penalties in federal court just like any other drug dealing.

Alexandria, VA criminal defense attorney Chris Leibig talks about defending marijuana charges. He shares that he is a member of the NORML Legal Committee, a national organization focused on reforming marijuana laws. He has supported marijuana legalization since his teenage years and observes that the law is gradually aligning with what he considers a sensible approach. Many states—potentially around 25—have moved toward full or medical marijuana legalization.

Virginia, however, has not yet significantly reformed its marijuana laws and continues to enforce existing criminal statutes. That said, he notes that enforcement practices have become more lenient in the state. Due to shifting political and social attitudes, it is now uncommon for individuals to face incarceration for simple possession, and cases are often dismissible with measures such as community service, particularly for those with clean records.

He distinguishes this from larger-scale marijuana offenses, such as possession or distribution of multiple pounds, which remain subject to full prosecution. Such cases continue to carry severe penalties, especially under federal law, similar to those for other controlled substances.

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