ELECTION 2025: Weed is on the ballot this November

Yenni Jimenez Acosta, Contributing Writer

Over half of all Virginians have used marijuana, but there is currently no way to obtain the drug recreationally in the Commonwealth — but the General Assembly is considering the introduction of a legal market, and its approval hinges on the 2025 gubernatorial race.  

A bipartisan commission convened at the Capitol on Aug. 20 for a second time to hear testimonies on the potential benefits of establishing a cannabis retail market in Virginia. 

The commission, created through House Joint Resolution 497, was created to “oversee the transition of the Commonwealth into a retail cannabis market” and can operate until Jul. 1, 2028.

Although cannabis was decriminalized in 2020 and legalized in 2021, Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin has vetoed proposals year after year to advance a retail market. 

Currently, marijuana is classified as a schedule 1 drug  — which have high potential for abuse and no accepted medical use — along with heroin and LSD, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration. 

Virginia was one of the first southern states to adopt recreational marijuana legislation, however the policies in place are very restrictive, according to VCU associate professor of criminal justice Christinia Mancini. 

Virginia law permits “adult sharing” for those 21 years and older — private transfer of one ounce or less of cannabis, but does not allow for the purchase of marijuana in any form without a medical card, Mancini stated. 

Police departments for different counties also have different enforcement policies, according to Mancini. Some residents find the law to be confusing to understand. 

“I feel like legislators can simplify the legislation a bit, ‘cause it can be a bit difficult to understand what exactly I can and cannot do,” second-year graphic design student Alyse Few said. “Honestly, it’s kind of one of those things where people will find a way to do it if they really want to.”

Former 7th District Rep. Abigail Spanberger, the Democratic candidate for governor, supports the creation of a legal retail market, citing the prospective revenue as an opportunity to invest in communities.

“As the next governor of Virginia, I look forward to working with our General Assembly to find a path forward to creating a legalized retail market for cannabis that both prioritizes public safety and grows Virginia’s economy,” Spanberger stated to CBS 6.

Republican gubernatorial nominee and current Lieutenant Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears is staunchly opposed to legalizing marijuana. She fired one of her employees for marijuana use and considers it a gateway drug.

“I had to let somebody go who worked for me, found out he was on marijuana, ‘you can’t work for me, you’re gonna destroy somebody’s home, you’re gonna crash, it’s gonna decimate us, because marijuana is a gateway drug … There is no hope in that, there is no future.’” Earle-Sears said at an Abingdon rally.

Chelsea Higgs Wise is the co-founder and executive director of Marijuana Justice, a nonprofit created in 2019 to fight for legalization while repairing the damage of the War on Drugs. She said that it is important to not only legalize marijuana, but do it the right way. 

Agencies and statutes like the Drug Enforcement Administration and Controlled Substances Act were created to divest in, incarcerate and target specific populations, not to protect citizens from the harm of drugs, Wise said.

“These have always been laws that have basically been the new Jim Crow, the new Black Codes,” Wise said. 

 Should a retail market be introduced, Wise calls for the opposition of cannabis industry monopolies and a regulated market with smaller local farmers or suppliers and beneficiaries within the communities that have suffered under prohibition. 

She also said it is important to provide relief for young people charged with marijuana-related crimes, as 18 to 24-year-old males have been the most targeted group.

“This is a business that Virginia is going to be running, and we have to make it competitive,” Wise said. “The biggest public safety piece that we can do is to drive the demand to the legal market. We’re not going to arrest our way out of this.”

Virginians can participate in early voting until Nov. 1. Election day is on Nov. 4. Voting information, locations and hours are available at elections.virginia.gov.

News Editor Molly Manning contributed to this story.

CORRECTION: A previous iteration of this story referred to “Black Codes” by an incorrect term. The story has been updated with the proper term.