{"id":5953,"date":"2026-06-30T09:05:15","date_gmt":"2026-06-30T09:05:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=5953"},"modified":"2026-06-30T09:05:15","modified_gmt":"2026-06-30T09:05:15","slug":"virginia-to-allow-recreational-marijuana-to-be-sold-in-retail-stores-beginning-in-2027","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=5953","title":{"rendered":"Virginia to allow recreational marijuana to be sold in retail stores beginning in 2027"},"content":{"rendered":"
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By SARAH RANKIN<\/strong><\/p>\n

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) \u2014 Five years after becoming\u00a0the first Southern state\u00a0to legalize possession of marijuana, Virginia has approved a legal way to sell it to recreational users.<\/p>\n

Read more Director Carl Rinsch is sentenced to prison in $11M fraud case over unfinished Netflix show<\/a><\/p>\n

State budget legislation enacted Monday will allow up to 350 cannabis shops to open across Virginia beginning July 1, 2027. The move marks the latest expansion of access to the drug \u2014 which remains illegal at the federal level \u2014 through state-level policymaking.<\/p>\n

\u201cVirginia legalized adult possession years ago, but without a regulated retail market, we left the illicit market to fill the gap,\u201d state Sen. Lashrecse Aird, a Democrat and legislative leader on the issue, said in a statement earlier this month. \u201cThis compromise gives us a smarter and safer path forward \u2014 one that protects consumers, keeps products tested and accurately labeled, and creates a legal marketplace that is affordable and accessible enough to actually compete.\u201d<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s what to know about Virginia\u2019s new law, the long process of enabling retail sales and how the state\u2019s changes fit into the national picture:<\/p>\n

Virginia\u2019s law allows new stores, higher possession limit<\/h4>\n

Virginia already had a medical marijuana program that allowed patients to purchase the drug through dispensaries. Now, state regulators will begin accepting applications for retail licenses on Feb. 1, ahead of the July 1, 2027, start date for recreational sales to adults 21 and older.<\/p>\n

The law increases the state\u2019s possession limit from 1 ounce to 2 ounces (28 grams to 5 grams) and it will continue to allow people to cultivate a small number of plants at home.<\/p>\n

The state will levy an excise tax on top of its sales tax, and that mix is expected to generate about $51 million in revenue for the state in the program\u2019s first year, according to\u00a0.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Advocates of legalization are heralding the changes<\/h4>\n

Democrats have driven the state\u2019s push toward legalization and recreational retail sales. They have cast the issue as a matter of equity\u00a0after state data found\u00a0Black Virginians were disproportionately policed and convicted of using marijuana. Only a sliver of the state\u2019s Republican lawmakers have backed legalization, and many have raised public safety and health concerns.<\/p>\n

Legalization advocates have generally cheered Virginia\u2019s legislation, though many objected to a provision increasing the civil fine for public consumption, arguing it could again lead to disproportionate enforcement based on race.<\/p>\n

Read more Today in History: June 30, criticism of US involvement in World War I leads to sedition charge<\/a><\/p>\n

Chelsea Higgs Wise, a grassroots organizer whose group Marijuana Justice was among those that called on\u00a0Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger\u00a0to rethink the increased fine, said the legislation was still an exciting development after years of uncertainty.<\/p>\n

For the past five years, \u201cAdults that want to reasonably consume have been confused, rightfully so,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Virginia is an outlier in the South<\/h4>\n

Marijuana is legal in most U.S. states for either medicinal or recreational use, with about half allowing it for recreational use,\u00a0according to\u00a0the Marijuana Policy Project, which advocates for legalization and tracks policy developments around the country.<\/p>\n

Virginia remains an outlier in the South for its permissive approach.<\/p>\n

Federal laws are at odds with state changes<\/h4>\n

Despite the fact that nearly all states permit some form of cannabis use, the U.S. government maintains\u00a0its longstanding prohibition on the drug.<\/p>\n

But in a major policy shift, the Trump administration in April announced\u00a0it was reclassifying state-licensed medical marijuana\u00a0as a less dangerous drug and accelerating the process for\u00a0a broader reclassification.<\/p>\n

How Virginia got here<\/h4>\n

During the 2010s, Virginia gradually expanded access to marijuana for medical treatment. Then, in 2021, Virginia became the first Southern state to\u00a0legalize marijuana\u00a0with the passage of a law that allowed adults 21 and over to\u00a0possess and cultivate\u00a0the drug.<\/p>\n

But lawmakers didn\u2019t fully enact a framework for retail sales outside of the state\u2019s medical marijuana program. Partisan control of Virginia government flipped in November 2021, and the issue\u00a0stalled out\u00a0for\u00a0years. In 2024, Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin\u00a0vetoed\u00a0a bill that would have established recreational retail sales.<\/p>\n

Spanberger, who assumed office in January 2026, pledged support during her winning campaign for legislation setting up a retail market. While the governor did veto Democratic legislation that emerged from this year\u2019s legislative session, she eventually worked out a compromise with lawmakers. Those provisions were rolled into a state budget bill that reached final passage Monday and now becomes law, according to the governor\u2019s office, after lawmakers accepted all of Spanberger\u2019s amendments.<\/p>\n

Read more Letters: State court\u2019s imbalance | A Christian nation? | Don\u2019t mess with mail<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Virginia has approved a new law allowing up to 350 recreational marijuana shops to open across the state starting on July 1, 2027.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5952,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36,13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5953","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-national-news","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nVirginia to allow recreational marijuana to be sold in retail stores beginning in 2027 - Orlando Relocation Report<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=5953\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Virginia to allow recreational marijuana to be sold in retail stores beginning in 2027 - 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