Legislation allowing recreational marijuana sales in Virginia heads to GOP Gov. Glenn Youngkin

By SARAH RANKIN
Associated Press

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Virginia lawmakers have passed legislation that if approved by Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin would allow recreational retail sales of marijuana to begin next year. In 2021, Virginia became the first Southern state to legalize marijuana. But because of political gridlock since then, the state still hasn’t set up retail sales. Critics say that is allowing illicit sales to continue to flourish. Under the bills, the state would start taking applications on Sept. 1 for cultivating, testing, processing and selling the drug. The market could open May 1, 2025. Youngkin has made clear the issue is not a priority for him, but he hasn’t explicitly threatened a veto. The bill passed mostly along party-lines with just a couple Republican votes.