A pair of Democrats in Virginia’s Senate and House of Delegates have reintroduced legislation that would regulate the commonwealth’s marijuana market and allow legal commercial cannabis sales to begin.
Use, possession, and limited cultivation in the state have been legal since mid-2021.
Last year state lawmakers passed a marijuana sales legalization bill that reflected a compromise between Del. Paul Krizek (D) and Sen. Aaron Rouse (D), but Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) vetoed the legislation the following month.
The two lawmakers last month signaled that they’d begin the new 30-day 2025 legislative session, which begins later this month, by starting from where they left off on the cannabis proposal. The new companion bills, SB 970 and HB 2485, landed Wednesday on the state legislature’s website.
Adults would be able to purchase up to 2.5 ounces of marijuana from regulated retailers under the new, 82-page legislation, with sales set to commence no earlier than May 1, 2026. Regulators at the Virginia Cannabis Control Authority could begin issuing business licenses in September of this year.
Purchases of adult-use marijuana would be taxed at up to 11.625 percent. Municipal governments could ban marijuana establishments locally, but only with the support of voters.
As Krizek
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