New Virginia Cannabis Commission Meeting Next Week Will Help Shape Recreational Marijuana Sales Rules Under The Next Governor
- barneyelias0
- 7 hours ago
- 5 min read
July 01, 2025
A newly formed government cannabis commission in Virginia is scheduled to meet next week to discuss the future of cannabis law in the commonwealth, a process widely anticipated to result in a revised proposal for legalizing retail sales of the substance.
Convened as part of a House joint resolution passed by lawmakers earlier this year, the group will spend the coming months gathering public input and making recommendations on a range of policy matters concerning Virginia’s potential transition into a full-fledged adult-use commercial cannabis market. These fundamental issues include licensing and tax specifics, as well as related topics such as paraphernalia, employment protections, and labor union agreements.
The use and possession of cannabis have been legal in Virginia since 2022, but retail sales remain prohibited. This situation has contributed to the growth of a multibillion-dollar illicit market. Despite past efforts by Democrats to legalize and regulate a retail system, Governor Glenn Youngkin (R) has obstructed the reform, twice vetoing proposals passed by lawmakers.
"There's both good news and bad news regarding retail cannabis legalization in Virginia," stated Delegate Paul Krizek (D), who sponsored the resolution establishing the new body—officially named the Joint Commission to Oversee the Transition of the Commonwealth into a Retail Cannabis Market—in a recent interview with Marijuana Moment.
The bad news, he explained, is that legislative disagreements over whether and how to regulate cannabis have meant "we're unable to provide Virginians with a tested, well-regulated retail market" even years after possession became legal.
"The good news is it's given us a little bit of time to work on perfecting this legislation that we're going to bring back next session," he continued. "It's also given us the time to... get more input from the public and from stakeholders, and to truly move cannabis from the street corner to behind an age-verified retail counter."
In the short term, Krizek and others believe the commission's discussions will inform an updated bill to be introduced in the coming year. With Youngkin term-limited and unable to seek re-election in November, his successor will likely determine whether regulated products become available in the commonwealth in the next few years.
Regardless of the outcome, the body is scheduled to remain in place until mid-2028. This, the lawmaker noted, will allow members to continue their work, whether that involves further exploring the possibility of retail sales or monitoring a developing commercial system as it gets established.
The commission, created by Krizek’s bill, HJ 497, comprises six lawmakers from the House and four from the Senate. A similar commission previously existed in the commonwealth, but the law establishing that body expired last year, and the group disbanded.
Most of the business at the commission's initial meeting on July 9 will involve administrative tasks: setting agendas and meeting ground rules, electing officers—Krizek expressed his hope to be chosen as chair, with Senator Adam Ebbin (D) as vice chair—and outlining expectations for the upcoming process.
From there, he emphasized, the bulk of the commission’s work will involve hearing from stakeholders and the public.
"This is all about a public process with public input, not just stakeholders, but the general public," Krizek told Marijuana Moment. "One of the goals, I'm certain, will be to gather as much public information [as possible], especially from our stakeholders."
He intends to use the recent legal sales bill that was vetoed by Youngkin as a starting point "with a few small tweaks," but also highlighted other issues he hoped the commission would address, such as expanding cannabis-related employment protections to include non-medical cannabis use by adults, evaluating proposed tax rates on paraphernalia, and adding provisions related to labor union organizing.
When asked whether these matters would be part of a comprehensive sales bill or addressed on a more piecemeal basis, the lawmaker stressed that the committee's immediate focus is on understanding policy issues rather than strategizing how to pass legislation.
"You have to tackle it policy first, and you worry about the tactics as you go," he said.
Among the organizations expected to participate in the commission's process are Marijuana Justice and NORML, both of which appeared before the previous iteration of the body.
Chelsea Higgs Wise, executive director of Marijuana Justice, expressed her excitement "about the opportunity for public comment and expert testimony," calling the commission "an opportunity for a melding of the minds."
"These legislators, many of them are new to the cannabis industry, and so this is an opportunity for them to learn best practices, hear from trusted advocates and organizers, and invite in the experts... to make smart decisions," she said.
"The majority of them have a history of standing on justice, equity, and being open to learning how cannabis can truly benefit Virginia," she added regarding the commission's members. "I am very excited for this commission to hear and craft the future of Virginia cannabis."
Among the priorities Marijuana Justice has for the discussion is a review of micro-business eligibility provisions, which Higgs Wise suggested could be too broad in scope, as well as how adult-use cannabis operators could effectively compete with large, existing medical cannabis companies.
"Centering corporations, centering big cannabis, is not necessarily what's best for a Virginia-based industry," she stated. "We truly want to have in-depth conversations about the start date of sales and what that will mean for people who are just getting started, versus those who are already operational either with hemp or with medical cannabis."
JM Pedini, development director for the advocacy group NORML and executive director for Virginia NORML, told Marijuana Moment that the commission "has consistently provided an excellent opportunity for both lawmakers and members of the public to participate in cannabis policy discussions before the legislative session begins" and encouraged interested members of the public to attend the panel's meetings.
However, Pedini also emphasized the importance of voter turnout later this year, particularly in the gubernatorial race.
"Ultimately, it is the outcome of this November's election that will determine the fate of cannabis retail in Virginia," they said. "There are only two choices. Voters can either elect a governor who will sign a retail sales measure or one who will double down on prohibitionists' attempts to roll back cannabis freedoms in the commonwealth."
One advocacy group not planning to engage with the new commission is the Virginia Cannabis Association (VCA).
"To be quite frank, we're not going to participate in any of these meetings," said Jason Blanchette, the organization's president. "I don't really know what's going to come out of it."
"I'm not really looking to get involved in that at all," he continued, explaining that VCA is focused on reintroducing the same bill that lawmakers sent to Youngkin in the past two years.
"We are going to push like heck the bill that we have already spent an enormous amount of time getting to the finish line," Blanchette stated. "The hope is to pass this thing in January so they don't have to keep monkeying around here."
He also expressed doubts about the panel's composition, saying that "six delegates and four senators is not the way to do it." He would prefer to see members of the cannabis industry represented on the body itself.
"I think it's going to be mandatory for them to have a medical operator representative. It's going to be mandatory to have a grower-farmer representative. It's going to be mandatory to have a retail representative," he said. "Public input... versus having a seat at the table are two totally different things."
Blanchette is nevertheless optimistic about the chances for reform, predicting that after November’s election, Democrats will control not only the governor's office but also both the Senate and the House of Delegates.
"They more than likely are going to have a trifecta," Blanchette said of the party. "And that's what makes 2026 the year this has to pass."
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