Virginia's recreational cannabis market has been slow to get off the ground, and now it looks like consumers in the state will have to wait a little longer.
It's been five years since Virginia legalized possession of small amounts of cannabis and earlier this year, state lawmakers approved a retail framework that would have kicked off sales as early at Jan. 1, 2027.
But Governor Abigail Spanberger is now proposing for the retail marketplace to begin on July 1, 2027, to allow for additional time to implement a legal market safely and curb the illicit market.
“Five years ago, the Commonwealth took the first steps to legalize marijuana — and for five years, the work sat unfinished,” said Spanberger in a statement. “We are working to set up a marketplace that is controlled, regulated, and responsible — because legal markets only succeed when there are clear guardrails and enforcement to back it up. To keep our next generation safe, we must also ensure real consequences for vape shops that have spent years targeting Virginia’s kids. We need to rein in these shady businesses and make sure a legal marijuana market does not make the problem worse.”
It's another setback for Virginia's legalization efforts, which for years faced vetoes from former Governor Glenn Youngkin.
