​Virginia lawmakers will have a chance to end criminal penalties for simple marijuana possession when the Assembly convenes in January — and the fight to decriminalize pot is being led by an 80-year-old Republican.

GOP Delegate Harvey Morgan, an assistant clinical professor of pharmacy at Virginia Commonwealth University, is sponsoring House Bill 1443, which would replace the criminal fine for pot possession with a civil penalty and eliminate the 30-day jail sentence and criminal record following conviction.

The Raw Story. It would also continue to require drug screening and education for minors convicted of pot possession. HB 1443 would not change penalties for the “manufacture” or distribution of marijuana, reports Eric W. Dolan at. It would also continue to require drug screening and education for minors convicted of pot possession.

Morgan introduced a similar bill in last year’s General Assembly Session, but the legislation never made it out of committee.