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<law><site_title>Virginia Decoded</site_title><site_url>https://vacode.org</site_url><law_id>64557</law_id><section_number>19.2-389.3</section_number><catch_line>(Repealed effective July 1, 2026) Marijuana possession; limits on dissemination of criminal history record information; prohibited practices by employers, educational institutions, and state and local governments; penalty</catch_line><edition url="https://vacode.org/2025/" slug="2025" current="TRUE" last_updated="">2025</edition><structure><unit label="title" level="1" order_by="1" identifier="19.2">Criminal Procedure</unit><unit label="chapter" level="2" order_by="1" identifier="23">Central Criminal Records Exchange</unit></structure><text>
						<section id="A"><p><span class="prefix-number">A.</span> Records relating to the <span class="dictionary">arrest</span>, criminal charge, or <span class="dictionary">conviction</span> of a person for a <span class="dictionary">misdemeanor</span> violation of &#xA7; <a class="law" title="Penalties for sale, gift, distribution or possession with intent to sell, give or distribute marijuana" href="/18.2-248.1/">18.2-248.1</a> or a violation of &#xA7; <a class="law" title="Repealed" href="/18.2-250.1/">18.2-250.1</a>, including any violation charged under &#xA7;&#xA7; <a class="law" title="Penalties for sale, gift, distribution or possession with intent to sell, give or distribute marijuana" href="/18.2-248.1/">18.2-248.1</a> or <a class="law" title="Repealed" href="/18.2-250.1/">18.2-250.1</a> that was deferred and dismissed pursuant to &#xA7; <a class="law" title="Persons charged with first offense may be placed on probation; conditions; substance abuse screening, assessment treatment and education programs or services; drug tests; costs and fees; violations; discharge" href="/18.2-251/">18.2-251</a>, maintained in the Central Criminal Records Exchange shall not be open for public inspection or otherwise disclosed, provided that such records may be disseminated (i) to make the determination as provided in &#xA7; <a class="law" title="Criminal history record information check required for the transfer of certain firearms" href="/18.2-308.2_2/">18.2-308.2:2</a> of eligibility to possess or purchase a firearm; (ii) to aid in the preparation of a pretrial investigation report prepared by a local <span class="dictionary">pretrial services</span> agency established pursuant to Article 5 (&#xA7; <a class="law" title="Purpose; establishment of pretrial services and services agencies" href="/19.2-152.2/">19.2-152.2</a> et seq.) of Chapter 9, a pre-sentence or post-sentence investigation report pursuant to &#xA7; <a class="law" title="Investigations and reports by probation officers in certain cases" href="/19.2-299/">19.2-299</a> or in the preparation of the discretionary <span class="dictionary">sentencing guidelines</span> worksheets pursuant to subsection C of &#xA7; <a class="law" title="Use of discretionary sentencing guidelines" href="/19.2-298.01/">19.2-298.01</a>; (iii) to aid local community-based probation services agencies established pursuant to the Comprehensive Community Corrections Act for Local-Responsible Offenders (&#xA7; <a class="law" title="Purpose" href="/9.1-173/">9.1-173</a> et seq.) with investigating or serving adult local-responsible offenders and all <span class="dictionary">court</span> service units serving juvenile delinquent offenders; (iv) for fingerprint comparison utilizing the fingerprints maintained in the Automated Fingerprint Information System computer; (v) to attorneys for the Commonwealth to secure information incidental to sentencing and to attorneys for the Commonwealth and <span class="dictionary">probation officers</span> to prepare the discretionary <span class="dictionary">sentencing guidelines</span> worksheets pursuant to subsection C of &#xA7; <a class="law" title="Use of discretionary sentencing guidelines" href="/19.2-298.01/">19.2-298.01</a>; (vi) to any full-time or part-time employee of the State Police, a police department, or sheriff&#x2019;s office that is a part of or administered by the Commonwealth or any political subdivision thereof, and who is responsible for the prevention and detection of <span class="dictionary">crime</span> and the enforcement of the penal, traffic, or highway <span class="dictionary">laws</span> of the Commonwealth, for purposes of the administration of criminal justice as defined in &#xA7; <a class="law" title="(Effective July 1, 2026) Definitions" href="/9.1-101/">9.1-101</a>; (vii) to the Virginia Criminal Sentencing Commission for research purposes; (viii) to any full-time or part-time employee of the State Police or a police department or sheriff&#x2019;s office that is a part of or administered by the Commonwealth or any political subdivision thereof for the purpose of screening any person for full-time or part-time employment with the State Police or a police department or sheriff&#x2019;s office that is a part of or administered by the Commonwealth or any political subdivision thereof; (ix) to the State Health Commissioner or his designee for the purpose of screening any person who applies to be a volunteer with or an employee of an emergency medical services agency as provided in &#xA7; <a class="law" title="Certification and recertification of emergency medical services providers; appeals process" href="/32.1-111.5/">32.1-111.5</a>; (x) to any full-time or part-time employee of the Department of Forensic Science for the purpose of screening any person for full-time or part-time employment with the Department of Forensic Science; (xi) to the chief <span class="dictionary">law</span>-enforcement officer of a locality, or his designee who shall be an individual employed as a public safety official of the locality, that has adopted an <span class="dictionary">ordinance</span> in accordance with &#xA7;&#xA7; <a class="law" title="Background checks required for certain employees and licensees" href="/15.2-1503.1/">15.2-1503.1</a> and <a class="law" title="(Effective July 1, 2026) Dissemination of criminal history record information" href="/19.2-389/">19.2-389</a> for the purpose of screening any person who applies to be a volunteer with or an employee of an emergency medical services agency as provided in &#xA7; <a class="law" title="Certification and recertification of emergency medical services providers; appeals process" href="/32.1-111.5/">32.1-111.5</a>; and (xii) to any full-time or part-time employee of the Department of Motor Vehicles, any employer as defined in &#xA7; <a class="law" title="Definitions" href="/46.2-341.4/">46.2-341.4</a>, or any medical examiner as defined in 49 C.F.R. &#xA7; 390.5 for the purpose of complying with the regulations of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. <a id="paragraph-234936" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/19.2-389.3/#A"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="B"><p><span class="prefix-number">B.</span> An employer or educational institution shall not, in any application, interview, or otherwise, require an applicant for employment or admission to disclose information concerning any <span class="dictionary">arrest</span>, criminal charge, or <span class="dictionary">conviction</span> against him when the record relating to such <span class="dictionary">arrest</span>, criminal charge, or <span class="dictionary">conviction</span> is not open for public inspection pursuant to subsection A. An applicant need not, in answer to any question concerning any <span class="dictionary">arrest</span>, criminal charge, or <span class="dictionary">conviction</span>, include a reference to or information concerning any <span class="dictionary">arrest</span>, criminal charge, or <span class="dictionary">conviction</span> when the record relating to such <span class="dictionary">arrest</span>, criminal charge, or <span class="dictionary">conviction</span> is not open for public inspection pursuant to subsection A. <a id="paragraph-234937" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/19.2-389.3/#B"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="C"><p><span class="prefix-number">C.</span> Agencies, officials, and employees of the state and local governments shall not, in any application, interview, or otherwise, require an applicant for a license, permit, registration, or governmental service to disclose information concerning any <span class="dictionary">arrest</span>, criminal charge, or <span class="dictionary">conviction</span> against him when the record relating to such <span class="dictionary">arrest</span>, criminal charge, or <span class="dictionary">conviction</span> is not open for public inspection pursuant to subsection A. An applicant need not, in answer to any question concerning any <span class="dictionary">arrest</span>, criminal charge, or <span class="dictionary">conviction</span>, include a reference to or information concerning any <span class="dictionary">arrest</span>, criminal charge, or <span class="dictionary">conviction</span> when the record relating to such <span class="dictionary">arrest</span>, criminal charge, or <span class="dictionary">conviction</span> is not open for public inspection pursuant to subsection A. Such an application may not be denied solely because of the applicant&#x2019;s refusal to disclose information concerning any such <span class="dictionary">arrest</span>, criminal charge, or <span class="dictionary">conviction</span>. <a id="paragraph-234938" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/19.2-389.3/#C"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="D"><p><span class="prefix-number">D.</span> A person who willfully violates subsection B or C is guilty of a Class 1 <span class="dictionary">misdemeanor</span> for each violation. <a id="paragraph-234939" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/19.2-389.3/#D"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section></text><history>2020, cc. 1285, 1286; 2021 Sp. Sess. I, cc. 344, 345, 524, 542, 550, 551; 2023, cc. 554, 555; 2025, cc. 634 and 671, cl 11.</history><metadata></metadata></law>
