CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. — Virginia lawmakers are still working to establish a legal retail marijuana marketplace, hoping to include it in the state budget before a June 30 deadline.
State lawmakers say it would be irresponsible not to explore every option available to advance the retail marijuana marketplace, which they hope to include in the state budget — still unfinished as of Wednesday.
Earlier this year, lawmakers at the Democratic-led General Assembly passed legislation to create a legal retail marijuana marketplace in Virginia.
Gov. Abigail Spanberger, also a Democrat, proposed changes, including a later start date and tougher penalties.
Democratic lawmakers rejected those changes, and Spanberger then vetoed the legislation outright.
Watch: Spanberger vetoes legal retail marijuana market
This week marked the first meeting of the Retail Cannabis Commission following that veto.
Lawmakers said they are still hopeful they can find middle ground between Spanberger's version and the version passed by the legislature.
While they have not spoken directly with the governor's office, they are looking at where compromises can be found between their version and the suggestions made by Spanberger.
"It would be really irresponsible if we didn't take this one final opportunity to try and get the legislation moved forward," Sen. Lashrecse Aird, D-Petersburg, said. "But as the conferee has stated, we are not trying to ram anything through. We want it to be legislation that continues to address our shared concerns."
A spokesperson for Spanberger said in a statement that the governor supports a legal retail marketplace, but one that prioritizes health and safety and has good regulation, oversight and enforcement.
Lead negotiators said Tuesday that conferees have met and a deal is close for the budget as a whole at the State Capitol.
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