Va. (WSET) — A bill that makes retail marijuana sales legal in Virginia is now heading to Governor Youngkin’s desk after passing in the Virginia House of Delegates.
The governor has said all along he plans to veto it.
The bill to legalize marijuana passed the House and Senate last year but was vetoed by Governor Youngkin.
This year it’s expected to meet the same fate.
RELATED: What are the potential impacts of new marijuana legislation in the Commonwealth?
ABC 13 Political Analyst Dr. Dave Richards said this is nothing new.
“There’s a long history of trying to legalize cannabis in Virginia, or at least for the past five or six years. In ’21, the bill was passed that would start the process and then Youngkin got into the governor’s office and has been consistently against the legalization of cannabis,” Richards said.
ABC 13 spoke to Republican Delegate Wendell Walker.
He voted against the bill and said the continued attempt to make marijuana sales legal in Virginia is about money, not people.
“There’s certain people in Virginia that would rather make more money than take care of individuals and protect our young people from entering into drugs and drug addictions,” Walker said.
If signed into law, the bill would allow for businesses to apply for licenses to sell cannabis in September of this year with sales beginning in May.
However, the governor’s office said he will veto it.
ABC 13 reached out to multiple democratic lawmakers who voted in favor of the bill to hear why they support it.
We did not hear back.
A bill that makes retail marijuana sales legal in Virginia is now heading to Governor Youngkin’s desk. Read More
