The Virginia House of Delegates and Senate approved identical versions of legislation to legalize retail cannabis sales on Wednesday, putting the reform one procedural step away from the governor’s desk—actions that come a day after a committee’s amendments had threatened to upend bicameral agreement on the cannabis issue.
After either of the two chambers signs off on the legal sales bill passed on the opposite floor—a move expected to happen on Thursday—the measure will next proceed to Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R). The governor, however, has previously said he has no interest in moving forward with the Democrat-led plans.
After introducing competing bills—HB 698 and SB 448—at the beginning of the session, Democrats have spent recent weeks working to build consensus on a proposal and arrive at a compromise. After a whirlwind of amendments in various panels and on the chamber floors, that compromise has finally been reached.
“The floor substitute of this Senate Bill 448 is the product of a lot of work,” Del. Paul Krizek (D) said of the measure before the House on Wednesday. He thanked the legislation’s Senate sponsor, Sen. Aaron Rouse (D) “for working with me so that we don’t have to go into conference.”
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