The Virginia Senate has approved a bill to legalize regulated sales of recreational marijuana, three ... [+] years after the state legalized cannabis possession.

The Virginia Senate last week approved a bill to legalize retail cannabis sales, more than three years after the state legalized the possession of recreational marijuana by adults. The bill, SB 970 from Democratic Sen. Aaron Rouse, was approved by a party line vote of 21-19 on Friday, with all Republicans in the chamber voting against the measure. The legislation is unlikely to pass muster with GOP Gov. Glenn Youngkin, however, who has repeatedly indicated he is against legalizing retail sales of recreational cannabis.

The Virginia legislature legalized the possession and limited cultivation of recreational marijuana for adults in 2021. Later that year, however, Republicans blocked a reauthorization vote needed to legalize retail sales of recreational cannabis after the GOP gained a majority in the House of Delegates. Unregulated shops selling cannabis have since opened to fill the void and supply an illegal marijuana market worth an estimated $3 billion per year.

“In recent years, we’ve seen the unchecked proliferation of illegal and unregulated marijuana stores that has put Virginians at risk as unlicensed drug dealers sell billions of dollars of untested and untaxed products, and frequently to children,” Rouse said on the Senate floor before Friday’s vote on SB 970, according to a report from online cannabis news outlet Marijuana Moment. The senator add that the legislation would “ensure that products are tested for safety, accurately labeled, sold in a controlled environment and kept away from kids.”

“SB 970 establishes a regulatory framework for adult use of marijuana through a structured license application process,” said Rouse. “This bill prioritizes public safety and creating a well regulated marketplace that keeps adult products out of the hands of kids.”

Legislation Legalizes Retail Sales Of Up To 2.5 Ounces Of Weed

Rouse’s bill would legalize the purchase of up to 2.5 ounces of recreational cannabis by adults aged 21 and older. Sales of regulated adult-use cannabis would begin no sooner than May 1, 2026, although regulators could begin issuing the required licenses to sell recreational marijuana as soon as September of this year. Retail sales of adult-use cannabis would be subject to a tax of up to 11.625%.

Recreational cannabis producers and retailers would be licensed by the Virginia Cannabis Control Authority. Local governments would be permitted to ban recreational cannabis sales in their jurisdictions only through a vote by residents.

The bill limits recreational cannabis sales to the state’s existing medical cannabis operators until September 1, 2030, MJBizDaily reported . Each operator would be allowed to open up to five recreational cannabis shops, which must be located at existing medical cannabis dispensary sites.

The Virginia legislature passed a similar bill to legalize recreational cannabis sales last year, but the measure was vetoed by Youngkin. Democratic Sen. Adam Ebbin, a cannabis legalization advocate, noted that the new bill has some differences compared to last year’s bill, including a reduction in funding for pre-kindergarten programs.

“This is going to be a while before this bill finally makes it through the process,” Ebbin said, “but I would hope that whatever is finally adopted, whether it’s a conference report or if it doesn’t make it through this year, that we don’t tinker with the formula, because we have a strong need for pre-K, and it benefits a lot of kids in at-risk communities.”