"As recently as Friday, the proposal seemed to be dying in the House of Delegates, before the Legislative Black Caucus and other advocates convinced a key committee chairman to change course.

"Advocates for the proposal argued that not only was the law enforced in a discriminatory way, the state had already rolled back penalties for possession so much that the justice system and courthouses were needlessly bogged down by minor marijuana offenders likely to be given probation.

"The House of Delegates passed the proposal Saturday with just seven votes to spare, and opponents argued that decriminalizing possession sent the wrong message about drug use. "