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The governor of Virginia is responding to criticism of amendments she is proposing a bill to legalize recreational marijuana sales by saying the suggested changed came after she spoke to the leaders of other states that have already implemented adult-use cannabis markets.
Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D) told local news outlets on Tuesday that the message she got from governors of other states is that “across the board, the top priority that people continue to put forth is do it methodically—because you have to do it right the first time.”
“I’ve spent a lot of time talking to governors and folks from other states about those who do have a legalized recreational cannabis market, retail market,” the governor said. “Every one of them said some version of, ‘Make sure you get it right the first time and don’t rush it because there will be things that come up.’”
The local news reports did not say whether Spanberger specified which other governors she spoke to about cannabis, and a spokesperson in her office did respond to Marijuana Moment’s request for clarification.
On Monday, Spanberger proposed amendments to the cannabis commerce legalization measure—including delaying the start date for sales by six months, increasing taxes and instituting new criminal penalties for cannabis consumers.
The move sparked backlash not just from marijuana reform advocates but also from the sponsors of the legislation, who said the governor’s proposal “creates a less accessible legal marketplace” and “represents a significant departure from the framework passed by the General Assembly, raising serious concerns about fairness, access and public safety.”
The governor, for her part, told WRIC-TV that “my goal is to make sure that there’s great clarity both in implementation and in the ending retail market that we end up with.”
She also told Virginia Scope that her move was intended to “clearly define what a legal market is.”
“It’s about making very clear that while we have a legal recreational marijuana market, or we are moving towards a retail recreational marijuana market, that it’s still clear that there are certain things that continue to be illegal,” she said.
Gov. Spanberger told me she talked to leaders in other states where a retail market for weed already exists and the number one thing she heard is implement it methodically. Read more from my interview with the gov and the pushback from the bill’s sponsors. https://t.co/y30eMCQMgU
— Brandon Jarvis (@Jaaavis) April 15, 2026
Here are the other key details of the cannabis bills—SB 542 and HB 642—as approved by lawmakers and with the governor’s suggested amendments:
The legislature is set to reconvene to address the governor’s proposal on April 22.
Meanwhile, Spanberger also suggested significant amendments to separate legislation that would provide resentencing relief to people with prior marijuana convictions.
Separately, the governor signed several other reform bills this week—including measures to protect the parental rights of marijuana consumers and allow patients to access medical cannabis in hospitals.
Tom Angell is the editor of Marijuana Moment. A 25-year veteran in the cannabis and drug law reform movement, he covers the policy, politics, science and culture of marijuana, psychedelics and other substances. He previously reported for Forbes, Marijuana.com and MassRoots, and was given the Hunter S. Thompson Media Award by NORML and has been named Journalist of the Year by Americans for Safe Access. As an activist, Tom founded the nonprofit Marijuana Majority and handled media relations, campaigns and lobbying for Law Enforcement Against Prohibition and Students for Sensible Drug Policy.
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