RICHMOND, Va. — Advocates of recreational marijuana sales in Virginia were dealt a setback Tuesday, when Gov. Abigail Spanberger vetoed companion bills that would have allowed dispensaries to begin opening Jan. 1.

The veto comes as a surprise to many in the Old Dominion State, after she said she would sign the bill.
Spanberger’s decision is just the latest twist in the long and complicated effort to legalize recreational sales, now entering its sixth year.

In 2021, the Virginia legislature passed a bill that legalized possession of up to an ounce of marijuana, allowed residents to grow up to four plants, and authorized retail sales to begin in 2024. But while the possession and growing clauses remain law, the retail sales provision required a second vote which never happened after Republicans took control of the House of Delegates in 2021.

After Democrats regained control of both houses in 2023, they passed bills to establish retail sales in 2024 and 2025, but were vetoed by Gov. Glenn Youngkin each time.

But with Spanberger’s election last year and Democratic control of the legislature, it appeared that recreational sales would soon begin after lawmakers passed House Bill 642 and Senate Bill 542 in this year’s session.

However, Spanberger sent the bills back with proposed amendments to push back implementation until July 1, 2027, reduce the number of dispensaries, increase penalties for public consumption, and to shore up testing and enforcement provisions. The legislture sent the bills without making any changes, resulting in the governor’s veto.

“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 in her veto message. “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.”

She added that she looks forward to working with lawmakers to pass a bill in next year’s legislative session.

The bill’s sponsors, Sen. Lashreese Aird and Del. Paul Krizek, released a joint statement afterwards, saying the veto and its consequences are on the governor’s shoulders.

“The governor’s veto ignores the reality that cannabis is already being sold every day across Virginia,” the statement said. “The only question is whether we as leaders 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.”