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.”

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BANNER, Ky. — A Johnson County woman is facing multiple drug trafficking charges, after she was pulled over for not using her turn signal.

A Floyd County sheriff’s deputy spotted a 2004 Lincoln Navigator turning onto Prater Creek from U.S. 23 without signaling, so he pulled it over. When he spoke to the driver, Kimberly Marie Osborne, 46, of Tutor Key, he spotted a used meth pipe in the vehicle.

The deputy then searched the vehicle and found vacuum-sealed bags of meth, marijuana and psychedelic mushrooms, a bag of fentanyl, and more than $1,100 in cash.

Osborne was arrested and charged with four counts of drug trafficking. She is being held on a $10,000 cash bond.

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MARROWBONE, Ky. — A Pike County man has been arrested for drug trafficking, after a caller reported witnessing a drug deal at his home.

A caller reported seeing a woman in a silver Chevy Suburban receiving drugs Sunday evening from a home on Left Fork of Dry Fork. Police found the vehicle and arrested the driver, Jessica Shell, 45, of Grundy, for possession of meth and drug paraphernalia.

Police then used the call and arrest to obtain a search warrant for the home. Inside a bedroom for Homer Dwayne Hill, 53, police found two plastic bags of an unidentified white powder and more than half a pound of marijuana, along with paraphernalia and a gun.

Hill denied taking part in any drug trafficking and told police the powder was baking soda he takes for heartburn. He further said he no longer stays in the bedroom, but rents it out while he sleeps on a couch.

Despite his denials, police arrested him on two counts of drug trafficking and possession of a handgun by a convicted felon. He is currently being held in the Pike County jail.

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PRESTONSBURG, Ky. — A man who was convicted of shooting a Prestonsburg police officer back in 2015 has been arrested once again, this time for drug trafficking.

Robert L. Powers, 38, of Sitka, was arrested Tuesday morning, after he was pulled over for suspected DUI and police found meth, marijuana and other drugs, along with drug sales paraphernalia inside his vehicle. He and a passenger, Hillary Cline, 34, of Prestonsburg, were charged with complicity to trafficking in meth and marijuana and possession of drugs and drug paraphernalia.

Powers pleaded guilty in 2018 to second-degree assault, wanton endangerment and felon in possession of a firearm for an incident back in October of 2015.

Prestonsburg Police Officer Adam Dixon attempted to pull over Powers for speeding, resulting in him fleeing to a relative’s home. As police tried to arrest him, he began firing a gun, striking Dixon one time in the chest. Dixon survived the shooting.

Powers was given a 20-year prison sentence in December of 2018, but he was paroled in February of 2025.

He is currently being held in the Floyd County Detention Center.

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RICHMOND, Va. — Recreational marijuana sales are expected to soon be legal just across the state line from Pike County, as the Virginia legislature passed a framework for retail sales on Saturday.

Gov. Abigail Spanbarger has previously said she will sign the bill.

Once signed, the new law will allow anyone 21 or older to buy cannabis from a licensed establishment, beginning Jan. 1. The number of cannabis businesses will be capped at 350.

Legal marijuana sales are expected to generate $400 million in new revenue for the state in the first five years, through a 6 percent cannabis tax on top of the state sales tax.

Local communities will not be able to block sales in their jurisdictions, but can implement a local tax of between 1 and 3.5 percent.

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PIKEVILLE, Ky. — Pikeville Police executed a pair of search warrants early Sunday morning, resulting in the seizure of a variety of drugs and five arrests.

Police conducted the first raid at an address on Island Creek Road at 6 a.m. Sunday. There, they found meth and marijuana, along with paraphernalia, a gun and what was described as a large amount of cash.

Social workers were also contacted after a minor was found living in the home.

Arrested at that address were Cathy McKinney Ratliff, 54; Whitney Lowe, 37; and Aaryn Muncy, 21. All three were charged with meth trafficking, drug paraphernalia and endangering the welfare of a minor.
Lowe and Muncy were also charged with marijuana possession.

Police conducted a second raid at a residence on Zebulon Highway at 6:20 a.m., seizing meth, marijuana and psilocybin.

Police arrested Wayne Buzard, 57, and Leslie Compton, 42, at that address. They are each charged with meth and marijuana trafficking, drug possession and drug paraphernalia. Buzard was also charged with felon in possession of a firearm, after multiple guns were found in the house.

All five remain in the Pike County jail.

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MARTIN, Ky. — A Floyd County man was arrested Thursday, after police raided his home and seized a large amount of drugs.

Officers with Kentucky State Police Drug Enforcement Special Investigations East Unit served a search warrant at the Sunny Road home of David Ousley, 44. During their search, they seized nearly three-quarters of a pound of meth, 23 Xanax bars, three oxycodone tablets, 21 methadone wafers, 26 Tramadol tablets and 7 lbs. of marijuana, along with 21 long guns, 10 handguns and about $5,400 in cash.

After he was read his rights, the police report alleges Ousley told police he has been trafficking drugs for several years and would travel to Atlanta to buy 2 kg of drugs at a time. He also reportedly said he had multiple customers who purchased ounce quantities of drugs.

Ousley is now charged with four counts of trafficking and possession of drug paraphernalia. He is being held on a $25,000 cash bond.

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PIKEVILLE, Ky. — The failure to wear a seat belt resulted in a Pike County woman being sent to jail facing multiple counts of drug trafficking.

A Pikeville Police officer pulled a car over last Wednesday after noticing both the driver and passenger were not wearing seat belts. After noticing both occupants appeared nervous, the officer asked to search the car and was given permission.

When the passenger, identified as Madison Lashae Balo, 31, of Virgie, stepped out of the vehicle, she was holding a black bag. The officer told her to leave it so he could search it as well.

Inside the bag, police found a bag of meth, a bag of marijuana, an unmarked bottle of pills, a set of scales with powder residue, and what was described as a large amount of cash.

Balo was arrested and charged with three counts of drug trafficking. She is being held in the Pike County jail on a $5,000 cash or property bond.

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PAINTSVILLE, Ky. — A Johnson County man is facing numerous drug charges after being found passed out in his vehicle.

Paintsville Police responded to McDonald’s around 10:30 Friday morning after a call reporting the man. There, they found James Daniel Orem, 45, of Paintsville, asleep behind the wheel, with his engine running.

After waking him up, Orem said he was tired and was waiting to meet his father. But officers thought he showed signs of intoxication and he subsequently failed a field sobriety test.

A search of his car later revealed four bags of meth weighing a combined 44 grams, along with two containers of marijuana.

Orem was arrested and charged with DUI, meth and marijuana trafficking, and other charges.

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PAINTSVILLE, Ky. — A Floyd County couple was taken to jail for drug trafficking, after police found them and a child sleeping in their car in a gas station parking lot.

A Paintsville Police officer and Johnson County sheriff’s deputy spotted the car around 2:30 Saturday morning. Inside, Mindy Gail Robinson, 46, and Keith Jones, 50, both of Prestonsburg, and the juvenile were all unconscious.

After waking them, Robinson was detained on suspicion of DUI. A search of the car then turned up several bags of meth, a Coke can with a false bottom containing a bag of marijuana, a set of digital scales and several plastic bags.

Robinson and Jones were then charged with meth and marijuana trafficking, first-degree wanton endangerment and possession of drug paraphernalia. Both remain in the Big Sandy Regional Detention Center in Paintsville.

The child was temporarily placed in the custody of his uncle.

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