CHINCOTEAGUE, VA - Governor Abigail Spanberger (D) vetoed legislation Tuesday to establish a framework for the creation of a retail marijuana market in the Commonwealth.
House Bill 642 and Senate Bill 542 were passed by the General Assembly in April. The owner of a vape shop on Chincoteague previously told WBOC that he intended to open a dispensary if a retail market were legalized.
"This delay is going to kind of disproportionately impact the smaller businesses like mine that don't have the time to wait for that revenue to come in,” Island Vape owner Karl Dampf said.
For the time being, he is putting the dispensary on the back burner and pivoting to an indoor ice cream truck concept to make ends meet. Dampf said customers come in daily seeking cannabis products he cannot sell.
"It would be so fun to just be able to buy you a little bit of goods and then go chill on the beach,” Lizzette Williams, a first-time visitor to the island who stopped in the vape store, said. “I feel like a lot of vacationers, that's a part of people's routines anyway."
Possession and home cultivation have been legal but regulated in the Commonwealth since 2021. Former Governor Glenn Youngkin vetoed a bill to legalize recreational cannabis sales in two consecutive legislative sessions.
Opponents argue that pot would endanger public health and safety, while proponents believe the legalization could eventually generate hundreds of millions in tax revenue.
"Nothing good comes of it,” long-time visitor to Chincoteague David Hall said. "There are so many good things to do here on this island. I don't think you have to get high and enjoy it. It's wonderful the way it is."
Governor Spanberger issued the statement below on Tuesday.
I share the General Assembly’s goal of establishing a safe, legal, and well-regulated cannabis retail marketplace in the Commonwealth. Virginians deserve a system that replaces the illicit cannabis market with one that prioritizes our children’s health and safety, public safety, product integrity, and accountability.
As Virginia pursues a legal retail market, it is critical that we incorporate lessons learned by other states and ensure that our regulatory framework is fully prepared to provide strong oversight from day one. That includes clear enforcement authority and sufficient resources for compliance, testing, and inspections, and robust tools to crack down on bad actors who continue to profit from the illicit market.
I greatly appreciate the patrons’ time crafting this important piece of legislation as well as our continued dialogue and collaboration to strengthen this framework ahead of the next legislative session. I remain committed to working with members of the General Assembly, stakeholders, and law enforcement to get this right.
