Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin vetoed seven pieces of legislation on Wednesday, including bills that would have established a recreational marijuana market and mandated an increased minimum wage.
Recreational Marijuana
Virginia legalized marijuana in 2021, making it legal for adults over age 21 to possess and grow the drug in small quantities. HB 698 and SB 448 would have set up a framework for a recreational market and allowed sales to begin in May 2025.
Youngkin vetoed the bills, saying in a veto statement that he believed the recreational market would endanger Virginians’ health and safety.
“States following this path have seen adverse effects on children’s and adolescent’s health and safety, increased gang activity and violent crime, significant deterioration in mental health, decreased road safety, and significant costs associated with retail marijuana that far exceed tax revenue,” the statement read.
He added that the legislation “does not eliminate the illegal black-market sale of cannabis, nor guarantee product safety.”
Democratic members of the General Assembly expressed disappointment in the decision to veto. Sen. Aaron Rouse (D-Virginia Beach) and Del. Paul Krizek (D-Fairfax), who sponsored the Senate and House bills, respectively, released a statement calling the veto “dangerous and irresponsible.”
“Governor Youngkin’s failure to act allows an already thriving illegal cannabis market to persist, fueling criminal activity and endangering our communities,” Krizek said. “This veto squandered a vital opportunity to safeguard Virginians and will only exacerbate the proliferation of illicit products, posing greater risks to our schools and public safety.”
Minimum Wage
Another prominent veto was on HB 1 and SB 1, which would have raised the statewide minimum wage from the current $12 per hour to $13.50 per hour in 2025, then $15 per hour in 2026.
Youngkin rejected the bills, saying in his veto statement that, “This wage mandate imperils market freedom and economic competitiveness,” and that it would raise business operational costs.
“Implementing a $15-per-hour wage mandate may not impact Northern Virginia, where economic conditions create a higher cost of living, but this approach is detrimental for small businesses across the rest of Virginia, especially in Southwest and Southside,” Youngkin said. “A one-size-fits-all mandate ignores the vast economic and geographic differences and undermines the ability to adapt to regional cost-of-living differences and market dynamics.”
He vetoed three other bills. One, HB 157, would have removed a farmworker exemption from the Virginia minimum wage. SB 696 would have provided individuals incarcerated for felony marijuana convictions with mandatory hearings to consider modified sentences. Lastly, HB 974 would have allowed “certain evidence for specific injuries arising from employment related to workers’ compensation.”
He signed 100 bills into law on the same day, including “bills that strengthen law enforcement’s ability to prosecute child predators and expand Department of Corrections inmate access to quality health services,” according to a news release.
Feature image, stock.adobe.com
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