Governor Abigail Spanberger vetoed two high-profile bills Tuesday afternoon.
Among the efforts was Democratic Petersburg Senator Lashrecse Aird’s bill to create a legal retail market for marijuana.
“We were all hoping that under a Democratic governor, it would not be a question of whether we would have a retail marketplace, but when we would have a retail marketplace,” Aird told Radio IQ Tuesday. “And today’s veto is evident that those expectations were false hope.”
For Spanberger’s part, she said in a statement, "Virginians deserve a system that replaces the illicit cannabis market with one that prioritizes our children’s health and safety, public safety, product integrity, and accountability."
"As Virginia pursues a legal retail market, it is critical that we incorporate lessons learned by other states and ensure that our regulatory framework is fully prepared to provide strong oversight from day one," Spanberger said. "That includes clear enforcement authority and sufficient resources for compliance, testing, and inspections, and robust tools to crack down on bad actors who continue to profit from the illicit market."
But Aird said increased criminal penalties and other concerns, if they remain a priority for the governor, could doom a retail market effort in the future, too: “Those will be a nonstarter for future versions of this legislation.”
Republican Senator Bryce Reeves, a former narcotics detective who voted against the bill, welcomed the veto.
“That’s great for our youth. It’s not all about money. Everything can’t be all about money,” he said, noting Democrats had seen the legal market as a way to boost state coffers to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars. “I’ve been saying, ‘We’ve been doing all the sin stuff. What’s next? Prostitution?’”
Spanberger also killed a bill to create a prescription drug affordability board, or PDAB. Charlottesville Senator and bill patron Creigh Deeds was still reacting to the news Tuesday but not surprised by Spanberger’s actions.
“And you will recall that she offered a reenactment of the clause that would’ve provided savings January 1 by tying it to Medicare, drug costs,” Deeds told reporters after a recent meeting of Senate Finance. “I’m disappointed but not surprised. They didn’t like the bill. She didn’t like the bill.”
When asked if the board could be included in ongoing budget discussions, Deeds replied: “stay tuned.”
Over in the House, Delegate Karrie Delaney said the PDAB effort had overwhelming bipartisan support and she too was disappointed by Spanberger’s veto.
“I hear from too many constituents about the high price of medication and that stress of having to choose between putting food on the table and the medication you need to live,” Delaney told Radio IQ. “But I'm not gonna stop fighting to lower those costs and I really do look forward to working with my colleagues in legislature and with the governor and her team on this legislation in the interim and to reintroduce it again in 2027.”
But PhRMA, an organization repping the state's biopharmaceutical research companies, took the veto as good news.
"Real affordability requires addressing the entities that actually determine what patients pay — insurers and pharmacy benefit managers that control access, set cost sharing, and decide whether rebates and discounts reach patients," said Will May, PhRMA Senior Director of State Public Affairs. "We appreciate the Governor's broader focus on these challenges and look forward to continued engagement on solutions that deliver real savings for patients."
