A Virginia legislative commission convened another meeting where lawmakers and advocates discussed plans to prepare the state to legalize adult-use marijuana sales. Del. Paul Krizek (D), chair of the Joint Commission to Oversee the Transition of the Commonwealth into a Cannabis Retail Market, began Monday's meeting by noting it would be the second-to-last for the body—saying that at the next and final one in December, members will "go over the bill that we are working on now."
The plan is for the body to suggest a proposal that the full legislature can consider passing in the 2026 session that begins in January.
"Outside of these meetings [as a commission], we've been meeting with every stakeholder that we possibly could, to get as much input into what will be a recommendation," Sen. Lashrecse Aird (D), the panel's vice chair said.
Use and possession of marijuana has been legal in Virginia since 2022, but retail sales remain forbidden—a situation that's helped fuel a multibillion-dollar illicit market. Despite efforts by Democrats in past years to legalize and regulate the retail system, Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) has stood in the way of the reform, vetoing proposals passed by lawmakers during each of the last two sessions.
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