View source for Charles William Carrico, Sr.

'''Charles William "Bill" Carrico, Sr.''' (born November 6, 1961) is an American politician in the Republican Party. He is currently a member of the Senate of Virginia, representing the 40th District. Carrico's campaign for Senate was heavily financed by coal mining interests such as Alpha Natural Resources, Consol Energy and Richard Baxter Gilliam. From 2002 to 2011, he was a member of the Virginia House of Delegates, representing the 5th District in the southwestern part of the state. Prior to that, he was a Virginia State Trooper.


In 2005, Carrico introduced an amendment to the religious freedom clause of the Virginia state constitution, based on the Virginia Statute of Religious Freedom written by Thomas Jefferson. The amendment posited a positive right to permit prayer on "public property, including public schools". The proposed amendment passed the House but died in the Virginia State Senate.


Carrico was the Republican nominee for Virginia's 9th congressional district in the 2006 midterm elections, but was defeated by Democratic incumbent Rick Boucher.


In January 2013, Carrico introduced a measure to reapportion Virginia's presidential electoral votes away from a winner-takes-all system. The proposal would benefit predominantly rural, Republican areas.


'''Views On Medical Marijuana'''

Senator Carrico doesn’t think [[marijuana]] should be legalized in any form and has said: “I think it’s a gateway drug. It enhances and gives reason for people to do things that are a lot stronger than [[marijuana]]. I believe ... that it can become abused and it’s like other drugs we have problems with like oxycodone ... that once it’s out there, it can be a harmful drug and get in the hands of others and start the trend of abuse.”