Spanberger Vetoes 13 Virginia Bills, Including 2027 Cannabis Market Plan

17 articles · Updated · Virginia Governor Ralph Northam - Proclamation · May 19

13 additional bills were vetoed after Virginia’s reconvene session, with Gov. Abigail Spanberger saying each measure risked implementation problems, legal confusion or other unintended consequences after lawmakers rejected her amendments.
Nearly 800 women- and minority-owned businesses and at least $340 million in current SWaM spending were central to her veto of HB 61, while she also blocked bills on voter-roll maintenance, election funding rules and courthouse security.
The package also killed proposals for Virginia’s first class-action process, a prescription-drug affordability board, explicit menopause protections in the Human Rights Act, mandatory recording of child-welfare interviews and higher-education governance changes.
A separate veto of HB 642 and SB 542 again halted a legal cannabis retail market, with Spanberger arguing the plan lacked a workable timeline, enforcement authority and resources to replace the illicit market.
The latest action broadens a veto wave that already included two bills last week and leaves several Democratic priorities unresolved for a future session.

As federal rules on cannabis relax, why are Virginia's plans for a safe, legal marketplace moving backward?

With Virginia's legal cannabis market vetoed, how will the state now combat its powerful and unregulated illicit market?