Leslie Chambers Mehta
State Government / Virginia / Legislation / HB 1432
Underage consumption or possession of alcoholic beverage or marijuana or marijuana products; consequences; procedures. Reduces the penalties for underage consumption or possession of alcoholic beverages or marijuana or marijuana products to a written warning for a first violation, a written warning and the provision of informational materials about how to access community services for a second violation, and a write-up and an optional referral for accessing community services for a third or subsequent violation. Under current law, underage consumption, purchase, or possession of alcoholic beverages is punishable as a Class 1 misdemeanor with a period of license suspension and an option for a deferred dismissal in certain circumstances. The current penalties for underage consumption or possession of marijuana or marijuana products is a civil penalty of $25 and an order to enter a substance abuse treatment or education program. The bill also provides that such underage persons are not capable of giving lawful consent to a search and that the unconcealed possession of an alcoholic beverage or marijuana or marijuana products shall not constitute probable cause to initiate a search of a person or that person's personal property to determine any further violations of law. The bill specifies that such underage persons shall not be subject to arrest or otherwise detained or taken into custody by a law-enforcement officer and that a law-enforcement officer's body-worn camera system shall be activated during any encounter involving an underage person suspected to be in violation of such provisions. The bill also puts limits on the dissemination and retention of any law-enforcement records related to violations of such provisions.
Latest development · Jul 21, 2026
Continued from last session
Civixly topics
Document type
Primary sponsors are listed before cosponsors and other sponsoring entities.
Leslie Chambers Mehta
Newest action first. Action language is supplied by the state source.
Continued from last session
Continued pursuant to House Rule 22 to 2027 in Courts of Justice
Rereferred to Courts of Justice
Motion to rerefer to Courts of Justice agreed to
Engrossed by House - floor substitute
Delegate Mehta Floor substitute agreed to
committee substitute rejected
Read second time
Floor offered Delegate Mehta Substitute
Floor substitute printed 26108054D-H2 (Mehta)
Read first time
Committee substitute printed 26107614D-H1
Reported from Courts of Justice with substitute (13-Y 9-N)
Subcommittee recommends reporting with substitute and referring to Appropriations (7-Y 3-N)
House subcommittee offered
Assigned HCJ sub: Criminal
Referred from General Laws and referred to Courts of Justice (Voice Vote)
Referred to Committee on General Laws
Presented and ordered printed 26103239D
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