Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger has vetoed legislation that would have created a legalized marijuana marketplace but is vowing to work with elected officials to resume work on plan ahead of the next General Assembly session.
In a statement Tuesday afternoon, Spanberger said the plan, as is, would have created a retail market without the “timeline, structure or resources to be successfully implemented.”
“As Virginia pursues a legal retail market, it is critical that we incorporate lessons learned by other states and ensure that our regulatory framework is fully prepared to provide strong oversight from day one,” Spanberger said. “That includes clear enforcement authority and sufficient resources for compliance, testing, and inspections, and robust tools to crack down on bad actors who continue to profit from the illicit market.”
Spanberger sent the plan that passed through the Virginia General Assembly this winter back to lawmakers with dozens of proposed changes. But the state officials opposed over 40 of them and sent the legislation back to her desk.
Former Gov. Glenn Youngkin vetoed a similar plan to create the legalized marketplace, but Democrats in Virginia anticipated Spanberger would sign it.
Lawmakers previously OK’d a plan allowing adults to legally have up to an ounce of marijuana and creating a path to grow up to four plants inside homes. However, there hasn’t been a formal marketplace, a step some leaders say facilitated the creation of an illicit market for cannabis in Virginia.
The proposal that lawmakers approved would have had the retail market opening Jan. 1, with oversight from the Virginia Cannabis Control Authority. Anyone who is 21 or older would be able to buy marijuana, and there would be 350 retail stores statewide.
But Spanberger called for retail sales to begin July 1, 2027, and proposed a series of changes to criminal penalties tied to marijuana possession. She also proposed changing the penalty for public consumption to a Class 4 misdemeanor. It’s currently a civil penalty.
A separate proposed change would have reduced the personal possession limit to 2 ounces instead of 2.5 ounces.
Sen. Lashrecse Aird and Del. Paul Krizek, who crafted the House and Senate versions of the proposal, said in a statement the legislation was the product of years of stakeholder engagement and extensive deliberation.Â
“The General Assembly provided Virginia with an opportunity to lead on this issue, but instead this veto prolongs uncertainty and provides comfort to those profiting from the illicit market. This veto and its consequences belong to the Governor and Governor alone,” their joint statement said.
Some lawmakers have said the current rules allow for an illicit market to form.
The General Assembly could explore a path to a legalized marijuana marketplace again during next year’s session.
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