Abigail Spanberger’s election as Virginia’s new governor gave a big boost to efforts for legalizing adult-use cannabis sales. The Democrat, in contrast to the outgoing Governor, supports reform. Glenn Youngkin’s (R) vetoed twice the measures that were brought to him by the Legislature to bring about this reform.
Spanberger is a former representative who told MEDCAN24 that Virginia “needs a clearly defined strategy” to create a cannabis retail market which would be safe for the consumers and transparent for the businesses.
She said that the “revenues from commercial cannabis product sales must be returned to Virginia’s communities, and reinvested in purposes such as strengthening our public school system.”
Spanberger said she will “work with leaders in the General Assembly to find a path forward that both prioritizes public safety and grows Virginia’s economy”—and that part of that is establishing “a formalized, legal, emerging cannabis market.”
Use and possession of marijuana has been legal in Virginia since 2022, but retail sales remain banned—a situation that’s helped fuel a multibillion-dollar illicit market. Youngkin, in spite of Democratic efforts in the past to regulate the retail market and legalize marijuana, stood in the path of reform. He vetoed bills passed in both the previous two legislative sessions.
Spanberger has a different pro-legalization stance than Lt. She defeated Winsome Earle Sears (R) in the Tuesday gubernatorial elections. The GOP candidate called cannabis “gateway drugs.”
In a discussion last month, she stated that her company had a “zero-tolerance” policy on marijuana. She feared that workers who were positive for THC would cause “a total meltdown.”
Spanberger spoke at the debate about her support of a system for legalized and regulated sales of cannabis, saying “it is important to have transparency on what’s available in the market.”
She said: “As a CIA officer and former federal agent, I worked on narcotics investigations, and President Trump signed a law restricting fentanyl flow into the United States and strengthening our border security. As the only one on the stage, with the backing of the Police Benevolent Association. It is extremely important to have transparency, so that the laws can be implemented.”
The new governor-elect last year also said “there are a lot of gray areas in terms of how we procure recreational marijuana within Virginia—and the state needs “a clear strategy and plan to transition Virginia into a state that has legalized retail markets that can focus on these concerns.”
During her time in Congress, Spanberger voted twice on the House floor in support of bills to federally legalize marijuana. She also consistently backed legislation to free up banking services for the industry, protect all state cannabis program from federal interference and expand marijuana research. The former congresswoman additionally opposed a proposal to remove protections for universities that study cannabis.
She voted against certain reform proposals, however, including on measures to lift certain research barriers for Schedule I drugs and to revise federal policy to prevent past marijuana use from being used as a factor to determine eligibility for a security clearance.
Spanberger was a co-sponsor of two medical marijuana bills for military veterans. She also sponsored the Secure and Fair Enforcement Banking Act in the 116th Congress.
On Twitter, she stated that in 2018, she was for legislation reclassifying marijuana as a Schedule III drug.
Medical marijuana
I am in favor of the CARES Act, and also HR 1227. Also, I support HR 1220 that would change the classification of marijuana from class I to class III.— Abigail Spanberger (@SpanbergerForVA) February 23, 2018
Spanberger will be inaugurated as governor in January with an expanded Democratic House of Delegates majority as a result of the election results on Tuesday, and a majority already in place in the Senate. Members of the Senate were not elected this year.
JM Pedini told MEDCAN24 that “Governor elect Spanberger’s victory finally gives Virginia the much-needed opportunity to set up a regulated market for adult-use marijuana.” Legislators did the work, and now the public is prepared. It’s now time to create a legal, safe marketplace for consumers and local communities that will replace the illegal market.
Recently, the Virginia Legislative Commission has begun discussing how to best prepare for legalizing recreational marijuana in Virginia.
Del. Paul Krizek (D), chair of the Joint Commission to Oversee the Transition of the Commonwealth into a Cannabis Retail Market, began the most recent meeting last month by noting it would be the second-to-last for the body—saying that at the next and final one in December, members will “go over the bill that we are working on now.”
It is planned that this body will make a suggestion that can be considered by the entire legislature in 2026, which begins in the month of January.
At the legislative commission’s first meeting in July, members discussing broad regulatory considerations and other issues related to THC potency, the hemp market and more. In August, the panel focused on cannabis taxes and revenue.
Meanwhile, a top Democratic Virginia senator recently said the state should move forward with legalizing recreational marijuana sales—in part to offset the Trump administration’s cuts to federal spending in support of states.