RICHMOND, Va. — After months of legislative back-and-forth, a gubernatorial veto, and an outpouring of public opinion, Virginia now has a plan to sell marijuana recreationally across the commonwealth.
Governor Abigail Spanberger announced the proposal Tuesday morning alongside state lawmakers. If approved in the state's final budget, marijuana could be sold in stores as early as July 1, 2027.
Local News
Virginia leaders reach marijuana compromise; retail sales to begin July 1, 2027
Most of the people CBS 6 spoke with saw the move as a step in the right direction.
"I think that it can literally only help the state of Virginia," one resident said.
Chelsea Higgs Wise, with the group Marijuana Justice, was among those who worked with state leaders to advocate for the change. She said Virginia's current situation is unlike any other state in the country.
"Virginia is a unique space. We're the only state to have adult use legalities for possession, consumption, sharing, and growing, but nowhere to buy it that is non-medical," Higgs Wise said. "I think it's really valuable that we made this push to include legalization retail within the budget this year."
Higgs Wise also pointed to the broader range of products that a regulated market would make available.
"Now, expanding this to adult use, folks are able to have pain, they're able to have topicals addressed, so it's not about the smoking, it's a whole new way of access," Higgs Wise said.
Residents echoed that sentiment, saying a legal marketplace would give adults a safer option when purchasing cannabis.
"You don't have to buy marijuana from an unsafe source, you know it can be gone through the system, people know that it's okay," one resident said.
"Hopefully that will get people out of these sketchy situations meeting sketchy people in sketchy places," another said.
Higgs Wise said a regulated market also addresses a gap in public awareness that has existed since possession became legal.
"There was never a public education campaign to tell adults, hey, it's legal, but where can you consume it? So now people can trust that they're not having molds or pesticides or certain plastics in their cannabis," Higgs Wise said.
Not everyone was without reservations. One resident said her biggest concern is that legal, in-store access could draw in people who otherwise would not have used cannabis.
"If anything, my biggest hesitation would be that maybe people who haven't, are probably going to be more prone to, 'hmm, let me try this out now it's in stores, it's legal,' so I think that's a scary part of it," she said.
Still, she and others said they hope revenue from sales will benefit communities across the state.
"If we're going to do it, let's take the money that can help communities, help families," she said.
"I think that it would be great to go back to agricultural programs," another resident added.
Higgs Wise said one element of the compromise stood out as a significant win.
"A big win with the compromise is maintaining the equity fund," Higgs Wise said.
She said the agreement reflects years of work by advocates and a meaningful shift in the state's approach.
"It shows how far the administration has come to the work and years of dedication from stakeholders for this," Higgs Wise said.
If the deal is included in the budget and approved, recreational sales would begin July 1, 2027.
CBS 6 is committed to sharing community voices on this important topic. Email your thoughts to the CBS 6 Newsroom.
📲: CONNECT WITH US
Blue Sky | Facebook | Instagram | X | Threads | TikTok | YouTube
