Advocates react to Gov. Youngkin’s veto of recreational marijuana sales in Virginia

On Thursday, Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin vetoed a bill that would have allowed the recreational retail sales of marijuana to begin next year.

Gov. Youngkin said legalizing the recreational sale of marijuana would only hurt the Commonwealth.

“Cannabis is bad for Virginia and in all other states that have had an extensive retail market, what you see is it’s terrible for children and adolescence, health and safety, increases in child poisoning,” Youngkin said.

Kevin Sabet, President and CEO of Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM), said the key to keeping Virginians safe is keeping cannabis off the open market.

“When you legalize something, the underground market, the black market, comes in, swoops in, and undercuts the legal price. It is able to operate in an environment of permissiveness,” Sabet said.

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