Finally, Virginia is getting a marijuana marketplace.
Ever since 2021, Virginia has been in a state of limbo when it comes to marijuana. That year, cannabis became legal to possess and cultivate in the state, but when Governor Glenn Youngkin came to power, measures to create a legal marketplace for the plant were vetoed multiple times and basically locked into a waiting game until a friendlier administration would come into office.
That time materialized in the election of 2025 when Abigail Spanberger won the governorship. Wasting no time, a bill that legalizes and regulates recreational marijuana sales passed the House General Laws Committee last tuesday in a 19-2 vote in favor. It now has to go through the Appropriations Committee and then reach the floor for a full vote.
The bill would start legal sales on November 1st of this year. However, in a Senate bill, sales would begin on January 1st, 2027. Adults could purchase up to 2.5 ounces, and there would be a retail tax of 12.625% with a potential local tax of up to 3.5%.
Here’s how the Governor spoke about marijuana before coming into office: “Right now is that we live in this gray space where there’s some legality to marijuana, there’s some illegality. There’s a lot of questions—a lot of confusion—and that creates real problems for Virginians who might currently have the legal ability to buy it for medicinal needs, or for those who might try to fall under the personal use.”
It’s likely this bill will make its way through the legislative branch quickly.
Read the original story at Marijuana Moment.
