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Legal marijuana sales in Virginia won’t get under way until 2027 at the earliest, now that Gov. Glenn Youngkin has formally vetoed the Democratic bill to launch regulated cannabis sales, two Democratic lawmakers predicted during a recent webinar.

Youngkin vetoed a bill last month that would have authorized regulated adult-use marijuana sales in the state, after avoiding taking a solid stance on the issue for years following his election in 2021, and said in a veto message that recreational cannabis “endangers Virginians’ health and safety.”

That same year, before Youngkin won the governor’s race, his Democratic predecessor signed into law a bill that legalized cannabis possession and use, but not recreational marijuana production or sales. Legal recreational sales are still contingent on a new implementation bill from the legislature, which Virginia Democrats now know will never happen with Youngkin still in office.

But Youngkin will be out after next year, since Virginia governors are prohibited from serving consecutive terms, and the next gubernatorial election is in November 2025.

That means the soonest a cannabis-friendly replacement could be in the governor’s office is January 2026, which would allow the legislature to pass a new implementation bill for recreational marijuana that year, allowing the market to launch likely the following year in 2027, state Sen. Adam Ebbin said during the webinar, Marijuana Moment reported.

“It’s possible that after the 2025 gubernatorial election, that someone will take office in January of 2026 who would sign an adult-use marketplace bill,” Ebbin said.

Sen. Aaron Rouse, another pro-marijuana Democratic lawmaker, added, “There’s a really big mountain to climb with this governor and his administration. I think he will veto setting up an adult cannabis market regardless of what we send him.”

In the meantime, the Democratic-controlled Legislature doesn’t yet have the necessary supermajority to overturn Youngkin’s veto, Ebbin said.

“So we have to get in a mode where we start over in a future year,” he concluded.

The post Report: Virginia lawmakers say legal cannabis sales won’t start until 2027 appeared first on Green Market Report.

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John Schroyer, KahliBuds, 420GrowLife