The Veto Draws Both Support and Criticism

During her campaign, Spanberger supported regulating Virginia’s cannabis market. In August, she said: “As the next governor of Virginia, I look forward to working with our General Assembly to find a path forward to creating a legalized retail market for cannabis that both prioritizes public safety and grows Virginia’s economy.” She also said to aim to develop a strategy to establish a market that is safe, transparent, and beneficial for Virginia, including revenue from commercial cannabis products that should be reinvested in communities and used for purposes such as strengthening public schools.

But her decision to veto the draft bills has drawn criticism. NORML’s Development Director JM Pedini criticized the veto, saying Virginia still lacks a regulated adult-use cannabis market five years after legalization. “Governor Spanberger’s veto is a profound disappointment to the many Virginia voters who believed her when she said on the campaign trail that she supported establishing a regulated adult-use cannabis market,” they said, adding that it also undermined years of work by lawmakers, experts, and advocates who spent half a decade crafting this legislation.

However, not everyone in the cannabis industry criticized the decision. The Cannabis Small Business Association, a coalition of hemp businesses and advocates, called the veto less a defeat than a chance to rewrite the bill more carefully. As reported by Marijuana Moment, days earlier, the CSBA, hemp companies, and alcohol retailer Total Wine & More wrote to Spanberger urging her to veto the bills, arguing the measure favored larger companies at the expense of small hemp operators.

The U.S. Hemp Roundtable also urged a veto, warning the bill would impose “sweeping new restrictions” on hemp products that Virginia consumers and farmers rely on.