Youngkin vetoes Virginia bills mandating minimum wage increase, establishing marijuana retail sales

RICHMOND, Va. — Republican Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin vetoed two top Democratic legislative priorities on Thursday: bills that would have allowed the recreational retail sales of marijuana to begin next year and measures mandating a minimum wage increase. The development did not come as a surprise.

In 2021, Virginia became the first Southern state to legalize marijuana, adopting a policy change that allowed adults age 21 and up to possess and cultivate the drug. But the state didn't set up retail sales at the time and still hasn't, due to shifts in partisan power and policy differences since then. Advocates say the disconnect is allowing the illicit market to flourish, while opponents have safety health and safety concerns with further expanding access to the drug.

The marijuana legislation advanced mostly along party lines, and the minimum wage bills passed strictly on party lines, meaning any override attempt would be almost certain to fail. Youngkin announced the vetoes a day after the public collapse of one of his top legislative priorities: a deal to bring the NHL's Washington Capitals and NBA's Washington Wizards to Alexandria. The teams' majority owner announced they would instead be staying in D.C.

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