{"id":86069,"date":"2026-05-27T05:28:32","date_gmt":"2026-05-27T13:28:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/2026\/05\/27\/virginia-governors-own-family-and-friends-are-displeased-with-her-marijuana-veto-she-admits\/"},"modified":"2026-05-27T19:45:55","modified_gmt":"2026-05-28T03:45:55","slug":"virginia-governors-own-family-and-friends-are-displeased-with-her-marijuana-veto-she-admits","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/2026\/05\/27\/virginia-governors-own-family-and-friends-are-displeased-with-her-marijuana-veto-she-admits\/","title":{"rendered":"Virginia Governor\u2019s Own Family And Friends Are \u2018Displeased\u2019 With Her Marijuana Veto, She Admits"},"content":{"rendered":"<\/p>\n

A recent poll showed that most Virginia voters disagree with Gov. Abigail Spanberger\u2019s (D) veto of legislation to legalize recreational marijuana sales<\/a>\u2014but the disappointment in the move extends to members of her own family, the governor says.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know a lot of people are not pleased with that veto,\u201d she said in an interview with actor and content creator Tevin Davis that was posted on Monday. \u201cFriends and family are displeased as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI do think it\u2019s an obligation to get it right, and I can\u2019t overstate the fact that I was really dug in on the details on this bill\u2014and it\u2019s all about making sure that it is a market that prioritizes public health, public safety, kids\u2019 safety,\u201d Spanberger said. \u201cI recognize the disappointment that the timing of this decision has made, but it\u2019s on the question of the principles of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lawmakers passed the cannabis sales bills in March<\/a>, but the governor then suggested changes to the legalization proposal<\/a>\u2014including delaying the start date for sales by six months, increasing taxes and instituting new criminal penalties for cannabis consumers. The legislature last month declined to take up the amendments<\/a> during a one-day reconvened session, however, effectively rejecting them. Spanberger then issued a veto last week.<\/p>\n

In the new interview, the governor acknowledged that \u201csome people are angry\u201d about her veto and \u201cit\u2019s entirely possible that the things I\u2019m worried about, maybe I\u2019m worried about too much.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut it is also my responsibility to worry about the implementation, because it is a substantial change to an entirely new type of retail business in Virginia,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd I have an obligation to get it right, and I take that obligation seriously. And it is the details that really truly matter, and I am a fine-tooth comb, detail-oriented person.\u201d<\/p>\n

When the governor sent lawmakers her amendments to the bill, she proposed them as an entire substitute rewrite of the legislation instead of suggesting specific discrete changes they could easily consider individually.<\/p>\n

She told Davis that if the legislature had \u201cchosen to sever the amendments and take them on a more individual basis, then you know that would have been additional conversations to be had\u201d rather than the resulting veto.<\/p>\n

A recent survey found that bipartisan majorities of Virginia voters wanted Spanberger to sign the cannabis legislation<\/a> into law, and that they specifically disagreed with her desire to slow the launch timeline for legal sales.<\/p>\n

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To that end, the governor also sought in the new interview to explain her thinking on timing for the launch of the market and the licensing of businesses.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf we let all the licenses go at one point in time, as soon as the market opens, it\u2019s going to be people who have greater access to the capital and people who can move quickly to find a space, to rent the space and to be ready to establish a business,\u201d she said. \u201cThe learning curve that might occur that would then allow for additional entrants into the market\u2014you\u2019ve already saturated the market and really made it a challenge for people who might choose to enter that space as an entrepreneur, precluding them from doing so.\u201d<\/p>\n

Additionally, she again said that her position on marijuana policy was shaped by speaking to leaders of other states that have enacted legalization.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy team did a lot of outreach to other states\u2014some that have newer cannabis markets, some that have been cannabis markets that have been there for quite some time,\u201d she said. \u201cWhat are the lessons learned? What do they wish they had known when they were just getting started? And we got a lot of really great feedback from governors, from their policy folks, and I brought that to my review of the legislation.\u201d<\/p>\n

The governor has repeatedly responded to criticism of her cannabis amendments from the bill sponsors and advocates<\/a> by saying the suggested changes came after she spoke to the leaders of other states that have already implemented adult-use marijuana markets<\/a>.<\/p>\n

A spokesperson for Spanberger was not able to name any other governors she talked to about cannabis in response to a question from Marijuana Moment last week, however.<\/p>\n

The governor separately recently sought to explain her veto in an earlier interview last week, reiterating that she supports launching a legal cannabis market<\/a> but worried about what she called a \u201crushed timeline\u201d and \u201cfar more stores across Virginia\u201d than she thinks are appropriate.<\/p>\n

Prior to vetoing the cannabis commerce bill, the governor did sign separate legislation to provide resentencing relief for people with past cannabis convictions<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Personal marijuana possession and home cultivation of marijuana has been legal in Virginia since 2021, but then-Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) twice vetoed bills to provide consumers with a way to legally purchase regulated adult-use cannabis.<\/p>\n

Sen. Lashrecse Aird (D), and Del. Paul Krizek (D), the sponsors of the legalization bills, had urged colleagues to vote against the governor\u2019s amendments<\/a> last month\u2014even if that meant risking a veto from Spanberger when the legislation returned to her desk, which has now occurred.<\/p>\n

Lawmakers will now have to start the push for reform over again with new bills in the 2027 session.<\/p>\n

Here are the other key details of the cannabis bills\u2014SB 542<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0HB 642<\/a>\u2014as approved by lawmakers and with the governor\u2019s suggested amendments:<\/strong><\/p>\n