Virginia: Time is running out for the governor to decide the fate of the adult-use sales bill!

After years of hard work, the Virginia General Assembly delivered a thoughtful and well-vetted bill — HB 642/SB 542 — to legalize and regulate adult-use sales to the desk of Gov. Abigail Spanberger. Unfortunately, the governor decided to rewrite the bill, including asking for changes to the current law that were not included in the original bill. These changes were so sweeping that the General Assembly could not decide on individual amendments but needed to either accept or reject the changes in their entirety. 

In April, the General Assembly rejected the governor’s rewritten version of the bill in a voice vote in the House of Delegates and in a 21-18 Senate vote. The governor requested amendments that included the recriminalization of conduct that has been a civil offense for years. 

The bill is now on the desk of the governor, who can either accept it or veto it.

If you live in Virginia, ask the governor to accept the will of the people and let the cannabis sales bill in its original form become law!

In 2021, Virginia became the first Southern state to legalize cannabis for adults, but the journey to a retail market has been a long one. For nearly five years, sales remained illegal and unregulated while the former governor blocked reform efforts with his veto pen. Virginia needs to end that sad tradition. Adults in Virginia want and deserve well-regulated, legal access to cannabis.