Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin (R) has vetoed a bill on Thursday. The bill was meant to create a legal market for selling recreational marijuana in Virginia.
According to Youngkin, the proposed law, which was intended to set up a state-regulated marketplace for recreational marijuana, poses a risk to the health and safety of people in Virginia. His statement for vetoing the bill stated.
He mentioned that states that have gone down this path have experienced negative impacts on the health and safety of children and adolescents, increased gang activity and violent crime, deteriorating mental health, decreased road safety, and significant costs associated with retail marijuana that far exceed tax revenue.
Youngkin believed that the law wouldn't stop the illegal black-market sale of cannabis or ensure product safety.
The Virginia House and Senate passed the legislation last month. The state would have started accepting applications for cultivation, testing, and selling marijuana on September 1, in preparation for the market to open on May 1, 2025, according to The Associated Press (AP). and This comes almost three years after Virginia became the first Southern state to legalize marijuana.Disagreements over policy have prevented retail sales from launching in Virginia, aiding illicit sales in the state, as reported by the news wire. Youngkin had not previously indicated how he would handle the legislation and had consistently expressed disinterest in the policy issue. He stated his desire to focus on areas of agreement and progress that would benefit Virginia.
The bill was one of seven pieces of legislation that Youngkin vetoed on Thursday. His office argued that these bills would legalize drug sales, weaken public safety, and arbitrarily set labor prices.
He did, however, sign 100 other bills on the same day.
Prior to this,
Youngkin vetoed
an assault weapons ban and several other gun control bills during a 30-bill veto session on Tuesday.
He expressed his commitment to defending the rights of law-abiding Virginians to keep and bear arms, citing his oath to protect the U.S. and Virginia constitutions.
Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin (R) has vetoed a bill that was aiming to create a legal market for recreational marijuana in the state. The proposed law, which would have established a state-regulated marketplace for recreational marijuana, was deemed by Youngkin as a threat to Virginians’ health and safety in his veto statement. “States following this… Youngkin vetoed an assault weapons ban and a series of other gun control bills as part of a 30-bill veto session on Tuesday.
“I swore an oath to defend the Constitution of the United States of America and the Constitution of Virginia, and that absolutely includes protecting the right of law-abiding Virginians to keep and bear arms,” Youngkin said in a statement Tuesday.
