Virginia Gov. Spanberger vetoes retail cannabis legislation

It is still legal to consume, grow and possess marijuana and cannabis products in Virginia, but a plan for retail sales — something Gov. Abigail Spanberger said she supported while campaigning — has just been vetoed by her.

The move by Spanberger to rewrite legislation to create a retail cannabis marketplace was a de facto veto because of changes that lawmakers said they could not accept.

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Among them, the revisions turn a $25 fine for public consumption into Class 4 misdemeanor, which carries a $250 civil penalty. Spanberger’s changes would make illegally transporting at least 50 lbs of cannabis or equivalent into Virginia to sell or distribute a Class 2 felony with a penalty of 20 years to life in prison.

In a statement, the governor said the revisions were aimed at establishing a safe and well-regulated industry.

“Adding more punishment to an already unjust landscape does not make our families, children and communities safer,” said Chelsea Higgs Wise, executive director of the Richmond-based nonprofit Marijuana Justice. “It only widens the gap between those who are penalized and those who profit.”

Wise called the veto profoundly disappointing for Virginians, but, she says, the efforts will begin again.

“The joint cannabis commission meets again in July of this year to start creating proposals and recommendations for the next General Assembly in 2027,” she said.

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Democrats in the legislature have been efforting versions of this bill since 2021, the year personal marijuana possession and use became legal in the commonwealth.