Cannabis industry participants are keeping close tabs on a potential breakthrough in the Virginia recreational cannabis market. Virginia legalized adult-use recreational cannabis in 2021, but legislation that would have allowed sales of recreational cannabis died the following year when the General Assembly failed to reenact it. Since then, Virginians have been able to use marijuana recreationally, but have had no legal means to acquire it.
That hasn’t stopped Virginians from lighting up, of course; rather, this contradiction has encouraged abuse of the medical cannabis program, fueled illicit sales, and blocked the development of legitimate businesses. Meanwhile, even in states with legal recreational markets, cannabis businesses are hampered by the continued federal prohibition on cannabis.
