RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — A Republican-led panel of Virginia House members blocked a bill that would have allowed people incarcerated or on probation for marijuana-related crimes to ask a court for a modified sentence.
A bill sponsored by Democratic Sen. Scott Surovell was shot down Monday by 12 Republicans in the House Appropriations Committee. Ten Democrats supported the legislation.
The bill would've allowed about 596 people incarcerated for marijuana-related felonies to apply for resentencing.
The bill's defeat comes almost a year after the legislature voted to legalize adult possession of recreational marijuana and to establish a legal market so that retail sales could begin in 2024.
Democrats controlled the legislature when that vote occurred.
