Joelle Lang-Fredman
WMAL.com

WASHINGTON — (WMAL) Virginia Senate Majority Leader Tommy Norment said earlier this week that he supports studying the effects of decriminalizing marijuana, giving a non-profit dedicated to educating the public about cannabis new hope.

At a Norfolk City Council dinner Tuesday night, Norment said that he thinks the issue should be studied by the Virginia State Crime Commission.

Norment’s staff said he had no further comment.

Virginia NORML is an organization that lobbies for cannabis in Virginia. Executive Director Jenn Michelle Pedini said that Norment’s comment is very significant in the public policy debate around the decriminalization of marijuana because calling for a study is a step in the right direction.

“Having a conservative lawmaker, who is also the senate majority leader, take a sensible approach to reviewing data and advancing policy reforms in that measure is certainly great news,” Pedini said. “We are certainly hopeful that they will review the data and come to same conclusion that numerous municipalities around the country have.”

Pedini said that Virginia residents are in support of decriminalizing marijuana, but they are not the issue.

“It is not Virginians that need convincing, it is simply a select portion of our legislature that is not ready to move forward from the current model of prohibition,” Pedini said.

Pedini said she is hopeful that this new development will have real implications.

“The senator is on the Crime Commission, so we will hopefully see the General Assembly ask this year for a study by the Crime Commission,” Pedini said.

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