After four years of stalled efforts and repeated vetoes from outgoing Gov. Glenn Youngkin, Virginia lawmakers now see a clear path to finally standing up a legal adult-use cannabis market.
During her campaign, Democrat Abigail Spanberger, elected governor two weeks ago, pledged to sign legislation establishing a regulated retail system — reversing the impasse that kept marijuana sales in limbo since Virginia legalized possession and home cultivation in 2021.
Lawmakers and advocates say the absence of a retail structure has fueled an unregulated market increasingly dominated by illicit operators. At its next meeting on Dec. 2, the Joint Commission on the Future of Cannabis Sales, which the legislature created earlier this year, will roll out its finalized proposal for a retail framework it hopes the General Assembly will pass during the 2026 session. If lawmakers send the bill to Spanberger's desk early next year, sales could begin as early as fall 2026.
The legislation will be carried by Del. Paul Krizek, D-Fairfax, the commission's chair, and Sens. Louise Lucas, D-Portsmouth, and Aaron Rouse, D-Virginia Beach. Krizek told The Mercury in an interview last week that Spanberger's election removed the biggest roadblock lawmakers had faced to date.
Read more at Virginia Mercury
