Virginia House And Senate Lawmakers Approve Bills To Legalize Marijuana Sales Under New Pro-Reform Governor

January 23, 2026

Virginia marijuana sales legalization is finally rolling toward daylight in Richmond, a slow-cooked stew of policy, politics, and pent-up demand that’s been simmering since 2021. In one breathless week, a Senate panel squeaked through an adult-use retail bill on an 8–7 vote, while a House subcommittee advanced its companion 7–0. The new governor is pro-reform, the votes are on the board, and the smell of a regulated market—licenses, labels, tax receipts—hangs over the Capitol like strong coffee at 2 a.m. For a detailed snapshot of the Senate’s posture earlier in the journey, see Virginia Senators Approve Bill To Legalize Marijuana Sales Under New Pro-Reform Governor.

Virginia legalized possession and home cultivation back in 2021, then spent years stuck in neutral as vetoes kept the commercial engine from turning over. Lawmakers are done waiting. They want a regulated Virginia cannabis market that starves the illicit trade and keeps products away from kids. They want consumer protections baked in, equitable opportunity at the foundation, and a tax stream that funds real things—schools, public health, treatment. Supporters frame it bluntly: every year without legal cannabis sales fattens the underground economy and leaves safety to chance. Public safety hawks add another hard truth: unlicensed storefronts aren’t proof of a thriving culture; they’re proof of regulatory vacuum.

What the Virginia cannabis market would look like

Launch window: The House bill targets November 1, 2026 for adult-use cannabis sales; the Senate version sets January 1, 2027. Two clocks, one destination. Track bill text at HB642 and SB542.
Purchase limits: Adults could buy up to 2.5 ounces in a single transaction, or an equivalent in other products as regulators define.
Regulator: The Virginia Cannabis Control Authority would run licensing, testing, labeling, distribution, and enforcement—soup to nuts.
Cannabis taxation: A marijuana-specific 8% tax, plus 1.125% state retail and use tax; localities can add up to 3.5%. Total ceiling: 12.625% before any local add-on, and up to 16.125% with it.
Legal cannabis revenue: Proceeds would fund administration/enforcement, a Cannabis Equity Reinvestment Fund, pre-K programs, substance use prevention and treatment, and public health campaigns (including impaired driving prevention).
Local control: Cities and counties couldn’t opt out; the market is statewide.
Delivery services: Allowed—because convenience is a policy too.
Potency and packaging: 10 mg THC per serving, capped at 100 mg per package.
Medical conversion: Existing medical operators can enter adult-use by paying a $10 million conversion fee.
Labor standards: Cannabis businesses must enter labor peace agreements.
Future add-ons: Lawmakers would study on-site consumption licenses, microbusiness event permits (think farmers markets or pop-ups), and whether the Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority should share enforcement duties.

On the politics, the tone is shifting from trench warfare to problem-solving. A Republican voice in the House put it plainly: refusing to regulate when possession is already legal doesn’t make the problem go away—it just leaves the field to untested products and shadow sellers. This incremental, build-the-ramp approach aligns with a broader national trend: normalize, regulate, tax, reinvest. It’s not just about dispensaries; it’s about the scaffolding that makes a legal market work. That scaffolding includes a clearer line on hemp cannabinoids at the federal level—context that echoes in efforts like New Bipartisan Congressional Bill Would Regulate Hemp Products, In Contrast To Ban Trump Signed. And reformers would do well to remember how fragile momentum can be; as seen in parallel debates over access to other controlled substances, a single misstep can sour the room—see Bipartisan Lawmakers Warn That Even One Mistake In Push For Psychedelics Access Could Derail Progress.

The road to a legal Virginia cannabis market isn’t paved yet, but the surveyors are on-site and the stakes are obvious. House drafters want sales moving by November 2026; the Senate’s clock starts two months later in 2027. Expect a conference showdown to harmonize timelines, fine-tune cannabis taxation, and lock in equity provisions. Meanwhile, legislators are also floating sentencing relief for past marijuana convictions and exploring hospital access for the terminally ill—an avenue that other states have resisted, as seen in South Dakota Lawmakers Reject Bill To Let Terminally Ill Patients Use Medical Marijuana In Hospitals. Virginia’s new governor backs closing the “gray space” between what’s legal and what’s not, and that clarity could be the difference between a market that hums and one that stalls out on the shoulder. If you’re ready to explore compliant, high-end options while policy catches up with reality, step into our shop: https://thcaorder.com/shop/.