Virginia to allow recreational marijuana to be sold in retail stores beginning in 2027

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Five years after foundation first Southern state To legalize marijuana possession, Virginia approved a legal way to sell marijuana to recreational users.

State budget legislation that took effect Monday will allow up to 350 marijuana shops to open across Virginia starting July 1, 2027. The move marks the latest expansion of access through state-level policymaking to the drug, which remains illegal at the federal level.

“Virginia legalized adult possession years ago, but without a regulated retail market, we left the illicit market to fill the gap,” state Sen. Lashrecse Aird, a Democrat and legislative leader on the issue, said earlier this month. “This compromise gives us a smarter, safer path – one that protects consumers, ensures products are tested and labeled correctly, and creates a legal market that is affordable and accessible enough to truly compete.”

Here’s what you need to know about Virginia’s new law, the long process to enable retail sales, and how the state’s changes fit into the national picture.

Virginia law allows new stores and higher possession limit

Virginia already had a medical marijuana program that allowed patients to purchase the drug through dispensaries. State regulators will now 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.

The law increases the state’s possession limit from 1 ounce to 2 ounces (28 grams to 5 grams) and will continue to allow people to grow small numbers of plants at home.

The state will impose an excise tax on top of the sales tax, and the mix is ​​expected to bring in about $51 million in revenue for the state in the first year of the program. legislative budget documents.

Legalization advocates herald changes

Democrats have led the state’s push for legalization and recreational retail sales. They made the issue an issue of equality after status data is found Black Virginians were disproportionately policed ​​and convicted for marijuana use. Only a fraction of the state’s Republican lawmakers supported legalization, and many expressed concerns about public safety and health.

Legalization advocates generally welcomed the Virginia law, but many objected to a provision that increased civil penalties for public consumption, arguing that it could again lead to disproportionate sanctions based on race.

Among those making the call was grassroots organizer Chelsea Higgs Wise, whose group includes Marijuana Justice. Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger He said legislation to rethink increased fines was still an exciting development after years of uncertainty.

Over the past five years, “adults who want to consume sensibly have been confused, and rightly so,” he said.

Virginia is an exception in the South

Marijuana is legal for medical or recreational use in most U.S. states, with about half allowing recreational use. accordingly Marijuana Policy Project, which advocates for legalization and tracks policy developments across the country.

Virginia remains an outlier in the South for its tolerant approach.

Federal laws conflict with state changes

Although nearly all states allow some form of marijuana use, the U.S. government drugs have been banned for a long time.

But in a major policy change, the Trump administration announced in April that: state was reclassifying licensed medical marijuana using it as a less dangerous drug and speeding up the process a broader reclassification.

How did Virginia get here?

During the 2010s, Virginia gradually expanded access to marijuana for medical treatment. Then in 2021, Virginia became the first Southern state. legalize marijuana With the passage of a law allowing adults aged 21 and over to possess and cultivate medicine.

But lawmakers have not fully enacted a framework for retail sales outside the state’s medical marijuana program. Partisan control of Virginia government reversed in November 2021 and trouble stopped for years. Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin in 2024 vetoed A bill that would establish recreational retail sales.

Spanberger, who took office in January 2026, pledged his support during his winning campaign for legislation that would establish a retail market. While the governor vetoed Democratic legislation introduced during this year’s legislative session, he eventually reached a compromise with lawmakers. After lawmakers adopted all of Spanberger’s changes, those provisions were included in a state budget bill that reached final approval Monday and is now law, according to the governor’s office.