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.”
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I’m so tired of voting for the lesser evil. Citizens united ruling needs to be overturned
I don’t think Abbey is making any friends among her supporters.
Does she still have any supporters left? She has turned out to be less moderate than her campaign for governor indicated.
Gov. Scamberger finally did something that fits with common sense that she ran on. Almost everything else she has agreed with the extremes of her party, and thus her new name Scamberger. I didn’t come up with the more accurate name, my moderate northern Virginia democratic neighbors did. LOL.
Opening retail centers to sell MJ is just a stupid idea…what could go wrong? This is the only smart thing the Gov has done….
It needs to stay medical only. The way people behave when they can’t get it because their Rx is expired or they’re over their allotment is horrendous. You need only to pay the fee and be older than 18 to qualify. 5 min phone call and you’re in! Its a JOKE.