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<law><site_title>Virginia Decoded</site_title><site_url>https://vacode.org</site_url><law_id>60632</law_id><section_number>18.2-248.1</section_number><catch_line>Penalties for sale, gift, distribution or possession with intent to sell, give or distribute marijuana</catch_line><edition url="https://vacode.org/2025/" slug="2025" current="TRUE" last_updated="">2025</edition><referred_to_by><reference>16.1-278.9</reference><reference>18.2-251.1</reference><reference>18.2-251.1:1</reference><reference>18.2-251.1:2</reference><reference>18.2-251.1:3</reference><reference>18.2-287.2</reference><reference>18.2-46.1</reference><reference>18.2-460</reference><reference>19.2-303.01</reference><reference>19.2-386.22</reference><reference>19.2-389.3</reference><reference>19.2-392.02</reference><reference>19.2-392.12:1</reference><reference>19.2-392.6</reference><reference>19.2-66</reference><reference>3.2-4113</reference><reference>4.1-1101</reference><reference>4.1-1101.1</reference><reference>4.1-1601</reference><reference>4.1-1604</reference><reference>4.1-606</reference><reference>53.1-231.2</reference></referred_to_by><structure><unit label="title" level="1" order_by="1" identifier="18.2">Crimes and Offenses Generally</unit><unit label="chapter" level="2" order_by="1" identifier="7">Crimes Involving Health and Safety</unit><unit label="article" level="3" order_by="1" identifier="1">Drugs</unit></structure><text>
						<section><p>Except as authorized in the Drug Control Act (&#xA7;&#xA0;<a class="law" title="Citation" href="/54.1-3400/">54.1-3400</a> et seq.), it is unlawful for any person to sell, give, distribute or possess with <span class="dictionary">intent</span> to sell, give, or distribute marijuana.</p></section>
						<section id="a"><p><span class="prefix-number">a.</span> Any person who violates this section with respect to: <a id="paragraph-221614" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/18.2-248.1/#a"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="a1" class="indent-1"><p><span class="prefix-number">1.</span> Not more than one ounce of marijuana is guilty of a Class 1 <span class="dictionary">misdemeanor</span>; <a id="paragraph-221615" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/18.2-248.1/#a1"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="a2" class="indent-1"><p><span class="prefix-number">2.</span> More than one ounce but not more than five pounds of marijuana is guilty of a Class 5 <span class="dictionary">felony</span>; <a id="paragraph-221616" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/18.2-248.1/#a2"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="a3" class="indent-1"><p><span class="prefix-number">3.</span> More than five pounds of marijuana is guilty of a <span class="dictionary">felony</span> punishable by imprisonment of not less than five nor more than 30 years.
				There shall be a rebuttable <span class="dictionary">presumption</span> that a person who possesses no more than one ounce of marijuana possesses it for personal use.
				If such person proves that he gave, distributed, or possessed with <span class="dictionary">intent</span> to give or distribute marijuana only as an accommodation to another individual and not with <span class="dictionary">intent</span> to profit thereby from any consideration received or expected nor to induce the recipient or intended recipient of the marijuana to use or become addicted to or dependent upon such marijuana, he is guilty of a Class 1 <span class="dictionary">misdemeanor</span>. <a id="paragraph-221617" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/18.2-248.1/#a3"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="b"><p><span class="prefix-number">b.</span> Any person who gives, distributes, or possesses marijuana as an accommodation and not with <span class="dictionary">intent</span> to profit thereby, to an inmate of a state or local correctional facility, as defined in &#xA7; <a class="law" title="Definitions" href="/53.1-1/">53.1-1</a>, or in the <span class="dictionary">custody</span> of an employee thereof is guilty of a Class 4 <span class="dictionary">felony</span>. <a id="paragraph-221618" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/18.2-248.1/#b"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="c"><p><span class="prefix-number">c.</span> Any person who manufactures marijuana, or possesses marijuana with the <span class="dictionary">intent</span> to manufacture such substance, not for his own use is guilty of a <span class="dictionary">felony</span> punishable by imprisonment of not less than five nor more than 30 years and a fine not to exceed $10,000. <a id="paragraph-221619" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/18.2-248.1/#c"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="d"><p><span class="prefix-number">d.</span> When a person is convicted of a third or subsequent <span class="dictionary">felony</span> <span class="dictionary">offense</span> under this section and it is alleged in the warrant, <span class="dictionary">indictment</span> or information that he has been before convicted of two or more <span class="dictionary">felony</span> <span class="dictionary">offenses</span> under this section or of substantially similar <span class="dictionary">offenses</span> in any other <span class="dictionary">jurisdiction</span> which <span class="dictionary">offenses</span> would be felonies if committed in the Commonwealth, and such prior <span class="dictionary">convictions</span> occurred before the date of the <span class="dictionary">offense</span> alleged in the warrant, <span class="dictionary">indictment</span>, or information, he shall be sentenced to imprisonment for life or for any period not less than five years, five years of which shall be a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment to be served consecutively with any other sentence and he shall be fined not more than $500,000. <a id="paragraph-221620" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/18.2-248.1/#d"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section></text><history>1979, c. 435; 1986, c. 467; 2000, cc. 819, 1020, 1041; 2004, c. 461; 2006, cc. 697, 759; 2020, cc. 1285, 1286.</history><metadata></metadata></law>
