Spanberger vetoes retail cannabis market

After Virginia lawmakers tried for years to enact a marketplace for recreational cannabis, only to see their efforts vetoed by the previous governor, Glen Youngkin, they were hopeful things would be different with a Democratic governor.

But Gov. Abigail Spanberger on May 19 vetoed House Bill 642 and Senate Bill 542, which would have established a framework for the creation of a retail marijuana market to be administered by the Virginia Cannabis Control Authority.

Spanberger said she vetoed the bills because they would “establish a retail marketplace for cannabis products 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.” 

After the General Assembly passed legislation in March to create a retail cannabis market, Spanberger wrote a substitute bill that limited the number of retail locations from 350 to 200, lowered the allowable possession limit, delayed the effective date, and imposed harsher penalties.  

Lawmakers rejected the governor’s substitute, which meant she either had to accept the bill passed by the General Assembly or veto it.

Following the veto, the bill’s patrons, Del. Paul Krizek (D-Fairfax) and Sen. Lashrecse Aird (D-Henrico) issued a joint statement: “The governor’s veto ignores the reality that cannabis is already being sold every day across Virginia. The only question is whether we as leaders will finally ensure those sales occur within a legal, regulated market or continue turning a blind eye to a booming illicit market while pretending to be outraged by its existence.”