Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin has, for the second 12 months in a row, vetoed laws that may have created a regulated framework for adult-use hashish gross sales.
Though hashish possession and residential cultivation have been authorized for adults 21 and over since 2021, there’s nonetheless no authorized approach to buy hashish in Virginia forcing shoppers to develop their very own or depend on unregulated sources.
The twin vetoed payments, SB 970 and HB 2485, aimed to alter that by establishing licensed dispensaries, age verification protocols, and necessary product testing.
In a close to word-for-word repeat of final 12 months’s veto, Youngkin cited issues over public security, youth use, violent crime, and psychological well being, claims that critics argue are unsubstantiated or contradicted by knowledge from different authorized states.
Past adult-use gross sales, Youngkin additionally vetoed payments to guard parental rights for hashish customers, present for the resentencing of cannabis-related offences, and increase the sealing of previous convictions. He additionally pushed again on revisions to the state’s medical hashish program.
The blocked payments had been handed by the Democrat-controlled Basic Meeting. Lawmakers like Del. Paul Krizek stated they weren’t shocked by the veto, however believed it was vital to point out Virginians the place their elected officers stood on the difficulty.
Youngkin, who was elected in 2021 and is barred from in search of a consecutive time period, will go away workplace in January 2026. Advocates see the November 2025 gubernatorial election as a crucial alternative to elect a pacesetter keen to maneuver hashish coverage ahead.
Till then, Virginia stays one of many solely US states the place adult-use hashish is authorized to own however unlawful to purchase, a coverage hole that critics argue fuels the illicit market and fails to guard shoppers.
