Virginia Governor Vetoes Recreational Cannabis Sales Bill
It’s a no from the Governor.
Governor of Virginia Glen Younkin continues his fight against not just cannabis, but the will of the people.
Per Forbes
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin on Monday vetoed a bill to legalize recreational cannabis sales, leaving consumers in the state without a legal way to buy weed. Youngkin vetoed two identical bills to legalize regulated retail sales of marijuana to adults, SB 970 and HB 2485, both of which were passed by the Virginia legislature earlier this year.
“The proposed legalization of retail marijuana in the Commonwealth endangers Virginians’ health and safety,” Youngkin said in his veto statement on Monday. “States following this path have seen adverse effects on children’s and adolescent’s health and safety, increased gang activity and violent crime, significant deterioration in mental health, decreased road safety, and significant costs associated with retail marijuana that far exceed tax revenue. It also does not eliminate the illegal black-market sale of cannabis, nor guarantee product safety.”
“Addressing the inconsistencies in enforcement and regulation in Virginia’s current laws does not justify expanding access to cannabis, following the failed paths of other states and endangering Virginians’ health and safety,” the governor added.
The Virginia legislature legalized the possession and limited cultivation of recreational marijuana for adults in 2021. Later that year, however, GOP lawmakers blocked a reauthorization vote needed to legalize retail sales of recreational cannabis after
Republicans won a majority in the House of Delegates. Unregulated shops selling marijuana have since opened to fill the void, supplying an unregulated cannabis market worth an estimated $3 billion per year.
