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RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Five years after becoming the first Southern state to legalize possession of marijuana, Virginia has approved a legal way to sell it to recreational users.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 — which remains illegal at the federal level — through state-level policymaking.“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 in a statement earlier this month. “This compromise gives us a smarter and safer path forward — one that protects consumers, keeps products tested and accurately labeled, and creates a legal marketplace that is affordable and accessible enough to actually compete.”Here’s what to know about Virginia’s new law, the long process of enabling retail sales and how the state’s changes fit into the national picture:
Virginia’s law allows new stores, higher possession limitVirginia 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. The law increases the state’s possession limit from 1 ounce to 2 ounces (28 grams to 5 gr7ams) and it will continue to allow people to cultivate a small number of plants at home.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’s first year, according to legislative budget documents.
