{"formats":[{"name":"JSON","format":"json","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-json\/18.2-251.1.json"},{"name":"Plain Text","format":"text","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-text\/18.2-251.1.txt"},{"name":"XML","format":"xml","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-xml\/18.2-251.1.xml"},{"name":"HTML","format":"html","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-html\/18.2-251.1.html"}],"law_id":67911,"edition_id":1,"section_id":67911,"structure_id":13207,"section_number":"18.2-251.1","catch_line":"Possession or distribution of marijuana for medical purposes permitted","history":"1979, c. 435.","full_text":"A\n\nNo person shall be prosecuted under § 18.2-250 or § 18.2-250.1 for the possession of marijuana or tetrahydrocannabinol when that possession occurs pursuant to a valid prescription issued by a medical doctor in the course of his professional practice for treatment of cancer or glaucoma.B\n\nNo medical doctor shall be prosecuted under § 18.2-248 or § 18.2-248.1 for dispensing or distributing marijuana or tetrahydrocannabinol for medical purposes when such action occurs in the course of his professional practice for treatment of cancer or glaucoma.C\n\nNo pharmacist shall be prosecuted under §§ 18.2-248 to 18.2-248.1 for dispensing or distributing marijuana or tetrahydrocannabinol to any person who holds a valid prescription of a medical doctor for such substance issued in the course of such doctor’s professional practice for treatment of cancer or glaucoma.","order_by":null,"text":{"0":{"id":245993,"text":"No person shall be prosecuted under § 18.2-250 or § 18.2-250.1 for the possession of marijuana or tetrahydrocannabinol when that possession occurs pursuant to a valid prescription issued by a medical doctor in the course of his professional practice for treatment of cancer or glaucoma.","type":"section","prefixes":["A"],"prefix":"A","entire_prefix":"A","prefix_anchor":"A","level":1,"next_prefix":"B"},"1":{"id":245994,"text":"No medical doctor shall be prosecuted under § 18.2-248 or § 18.2-248.1 for dispensing or distributing marijuana or tetrahydrocannabinol for medical purposes when such action occurs in the course of his professional practice for treatment of cancer or glaucoma.","type":"section","prefixes":["B"],"prefix":"B","entire_prefix":"B","prefix_anchor":"B","level":1,"prior_prefix":"A","next_prefix":"C"},"2":{"id":245995,"text":"No pharmacist shall be prosecuted under §§ 18.2-248 to 18.2-248.1 for dispensing or distributing marijuana or tetrahydrocannabinol to any person who holds a valid prescription of a medical doctor for such substance issued in the course of such doctor’s professional practice for treatment of cancer or glaucoma.","type":"section","prefixes":["C"],"prefix":"C","entire_prefix":"C","prefix_anchor":"C","level":1,"prior_prefix":"B"}},"ancestry":[{"id":13207,"edition_id":1,"name":"Drugs","identifier":"1","label":"article","depth":3,"order_by":1,"parent_id":12973,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:44:27","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:44:27","permalink":{"id":166503,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":13207,"identifier":"1","token":"18.2\/7\/1","url":"\/18.2\/7\/1\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":12973,"edition_id":1,"name":"Crimes Involving Health and Safety","identifier":"7","label":"chapter","depth":2,"order_by":1,"parent_id":12972,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:44:05","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:44:05","permalink":{"id":166501,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":12973,"identifier":"7","token":"18.2\/7","url":"\/18.2\/7\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":12972,"edition_id":1,"name":"Crimes and Offenses Generally","identifier":"18.2","label":"title","depth":1,"order_by":1,"parent_id":null,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:44:05","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:44:05","permalink":{"id":164139,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":12972,"identifier":"18.2","token":"18.2","url":"\/18.2\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}}],"structure_contents":[{"id":84070,"structure_id":13207,"section_number":"18.2-247","catch_line":"Use of terms \"controlled substances,\" \"marijuana,\" \"Schedules I, II, III, IV, V, and VI,\" \"imitation controlled substance,\" and \"counterfeit controlled substance\" in Title 18.2","url":"\/18.2-247\/","token":"18.2\/7\/1\/18.2-247","metadata":false},{"id":68693,"structure_id":13207,"section_number":"18.2-248","catch_line":"Manufacturing, selling, giving, distributing, or possessing with intent to manufacture, sell, give, or distribute a controlled substance or an imitation controlled substance prohibited; 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This law was first created in 1979. The record of its establishment is cataloged in chapter 435 of that year\u2019s edition of \u201cActs of Assembly,\u201d the annual state publication listing all changes made to the Code of Virginia in that year. Unfortunately, the 1979 \u201cActs\u201d aren\u2019t available online.<\/p>","references":false,"refers_to":[{"id":68693,"section_number":"18.2-248","catch_line":"Manufacturing, selling, giving, distributing, or possessing with intent to manufacture, sell, give, or distribute a controlled substance or an imitation controlled substance prohibited; penalties","order_by":null,"url":"\/18.2-248\/"},{"id":60632,"section_number":"18.2-248.1","catch_line":"Penalties for sale, gift, distribution or possession with intent to sell, give or distribute marijuana","order_by":null,"url":"\/18.2-248.1\/"},{"id":58255,"section_number":"18.2-250","catch_line":"Possession of controlled substances unlawful","order_by":null,"url":"\/18.2-250\/"},{"id":72485,"section_number":"18.2-250.1","catch_line":"Repealed","order_by":null,"url":"\/18.2-250.1\/"}],"permalink":{"id":166593,"object_type":"law","relational_id":67911,"identifier":"18.2-251.1","token":"18.2\/7\/1\/18.2-251.1","url":"\/18.2-251.1\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1},"url":"\/18.2-251.1\/","token":"18.2\/7\/1\/18.2-251.1","dublin_core":{"Title":"Possession or distribution of marijuana for medical purposes permitted","Type":"Text","Format":"text\/html","Identifier":"\u00a7 18.2-251.1","Relation":"Code of Virginia"},"html":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

A.<\/span> No person shall be prosecuted under § 18.2-250<\/a> or § 18.2-250.1<\/a> for the possession<\/span> of marijuana or tetrahydrocannabinol when that possession<\/span> occurs pursuant to a valid prescription issued by a medical doctor in the course of his professional practice for treatment of cancer or glaucoma. <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

B.<\/span> No medical doctor shall be prosecuted under § 18.2-248<\/a> or § 18.2-248.1<\/a> for dispensing or distributing marijuana or tetrahydrocannabinol for medical purposes when such action occurs in the course of his professional practice for treatment of cancer or glaucoma. <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

C.<\/span> No pharmacist shall be prosecuted under §§ 18.2-248<\/a> to 18.2-248.1<\/a> for dispensing or distributing marijuana or tetrahydrocannabinol to any person who holds a valid prescription of a medical doctor for such substance issued in the course of such doctor’s professional practice for treatment of cancer or glaucoma. <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>","plain_text":" CODE OF VIRGINIA\n\nPOSSESSION OR DISTRIBUTION OF MARIJUANA FOR MEDICAL PURPOSES PERMITTED (\u00a7\n18.2-251.1)\n\nA. No person shall be prosecuted under § 18.2-250 or § 18.2-250.1 for\nthe possession of marijuana or tetrahydrocannabinol when that possession occurs\npursuant to a valid prescription issued by a medical doctor in the course of his\nprofessional practice for treatment of cancer or glaucoma.\n\nB. No medical doctor shall be prosecuted under § 18.2-248 or §\n18.2-248.1 for dispensing or distributing marijuana or tetrahydrocannabinol for\nmedical purposes when such action occurs in the course of his professional\npractice for treatment of cancer or glaucoma.\n\nC. No pharmacist shall be prosecuted under §§ 18.2-248 to 18.2-248.1\nfor dispensing or distributing marijuana or tetrahydrocannabinol to any person\nwho holds a valid prescription of a medical doctor for such substance issued in\nthe course of such doctor’s professional practice for treatment of cancer\nor glaucoma.\n\nHISTORY: 1979, c. 435.","edition":{"id":1,"name":"2025","slug":"2025","date_created":"2026-06-21 22:39:22","date_modified":"2026-06-21 22:39:22","current":1,"order_by":1,"last_import":null}}