Fairfax County, VA to Stop Prosecuting Weed Possession Cases

The newly elected County Attorney for Fairfax County, Virginia is following through on a campaign promise to stop prosecuting simple cannabis possession charges against adults. An article from Washington D.C.’s WTOP reports that Steve Descano announced the move on his first day in office.

Going forward, the Virginia commonwealth’s attorney’s office will review cases involving marijuana possession to determine if the case falls within their definition of “simple possession.” If so, prosecutors will move to dismiss the case at its first hearing.

Descano is quoted in the article as saying he hopes dismissing, rather than convicting these cases, will free up resources “to be used in a smarter way.”