Virginia Governor Vetoes Bill to Create Cannabis Retail Market

Gov. Abigail Spanberger vetoed legislation on Tuesday that would have created Virginia’s cannabis retail market. The measure had been negotiated for months by state lawmakers. The veto comes five years after Virginia legalized marijuana possession. It also follows a standoff between the governor and the Virginia General Assembly over revisions Spanberger sought during the 2026 session.

Lawmakers declined to adopt the governor’s version of the bill, which contained 40 changes, and returned the original proposal. Spanberger faced a May 23 deadline to approve the bill, reject it, or allow it to take effect without her signature. Her veto is expected to delay further action on retail marijuana sales until lawmakers reconvene in 2027.

Virginia became the first state in the South to legalize personal marijuana possession in 2021.

Spanberger said she remains open to a lawful cannabis sales system but contends the state has not yet built the oversight and enforcement mechanisms necessary to implement one safely. “I share the General Assembly’s goal of establishing a safe, legal, and well-regulated cannabis retail marketplace in the commonwealth,” Spanberger said.

The legislation, sponsored by state Del. Paul Krizek and state Sen. Lashrecse Aird, sought to establish a state-regulated recreational cannabis industry under the Virginia Cannabis Control Authority. Licensed marijuana sales would not have launched until at least January 2027 under the proposal.

Krizek and Aird said in a joint statement that the veto ignores the reality that cannabis is already being sold every day across Virginia.