Virginia lawmakers are gearing up for a push to include provisions to legalize recreational marijuana in budget legislation this month despite the governor’s veto of a proposal to enact the reform just weeks ago.
The effort was a topic of discussion at the first meeting of the legislature’s Joint Commission to Oversee the Transition of the Commonwealth into a Cannabis Retail Market since Gov. Abigail Spanberger’s (D) move to kill the previous proposal to regulate adult-use marijuana sales.
Sen. Lashrecse Aird (D), who sponsored the Senate version of the legalization measure that Spanberger vetoed, noted that transitioning the state to a framework for legal cannabis commerce is the “primary goal” of the body.
“To the millions of Virginians who support a safe, regulated cannabis market, to the small business owners who are prepared to participate in a legal industry, and to the adults who already use cannabis legally under Virginia law, we want you to know that that commitment remains our number one priority,” she said. “The conversation is far from over to moving us into that legal marketplace.”
“The reality is that cannabis is already being bought and sold every day throughout the commonwealth,” Aird, who was elected chair
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