Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger vetoed the bill that would have launched legal adult-use cannabis sales, five years after the state legalized possession. She campaigned on supporting a retail market. The veto likely pushes any legal sales to 2028 or later.
Virginians still can’t legally buy the weed they’ve been allowed to possess since 2021. Gov. Abigail Spanberger vetoed the bill that would have changed that on Tuesday, killing the state’s adult-use retail market for at least another year and breaking a promise she made on the campaign trail.
The move stunned advocates who’d spent years waiting for a Democrat in the governor’s mansion. As Axios Richmond noted, it’s the third straight year a Virginia governor has vetoed retail cannabis legislation, but the first time it happened with a Democrat holding the office and the party controlling both chambers of the General Assembly. The trifecta was supposed to be the thing that finally got it done.
What the bill would have done
The legislation, sponsored by Del. Paul Krizek and Sen. Lashrecse Aird, both Democrats, would have opened licensed recreational sales on Jan. 1, 2027, under the oversight of the Virginia Cannabis Control Authority. It capped retail licenses at 350, set a state tax rate of 6% with a local option up to 3.5%, raised the possession limit from one ounce to 2.5, and prioritized smaller operators and applicants hit hardest by past enforcement.
An MJBizDaily analysis projected the market could reach $780 million in its first full year of sales, crossing the billion-dollar mark by year two. Lawmakers backing the bill pegged tax revenue at up to $400 million over the first five years.
Why Spanberger said no
In her veto statement, Spanberger said she supports a legal market but doesn’t think Virginia is ready to run one.
“I share the General Assembly’ …
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Author: Javier Hasse / High Times
