Virginia Decriminalizes Marijuana! Cannabis legalization news from Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam (d) announced he signed a bill eliminating jail time for marijuana possession. Virginia decriminalized possession of up to one ounce of marijuana – effective July 1, 2020. “This means close to 30,000 people a year will no longer be labeled as criminals and no longer will suffer the negative repercussions of a criminal conviction,” said Sen. Adam Ebbin, D-Alexandria,