Virginia House Committee Advances Bill to Legalize Recreational Cannabis Sales in Unanimous Vote

A Virginia House subcommittee has advanced a companion measure to Senate Bill 542, the wide-ranging proposal to finally establish a regulated recreational marijuana market in the Commonwealth. The House General Laws subcommittee voted 7 to 0 to move forward legislation filed by Delegate Paul Krizek (D) that mirrors much of the Senate proposal approved earlier this week by the Senate Rehabilitation and Social Services Committee in an 8 to 7 vote.

Like the Senate version, Krizek’s bill would direct the Virginia Cannabis Control Authority to begin building a licensing framework for the cultivation, processing, testing and retail sale of marijuana, with applications allowed on or after July 1, 2026. The measure would formally create a pathway for commercial sales in a state where adult possession and home cultivation have been legal since 2021, but where retail outlets have never launched.

The proposal also raises the legal possession limit for adults 21 and older from one ounce to 2.5 ounces and rewrites major sections of Virginia’s marijuana criminal code to align penalties with the new licensing system.

Under the bill, cultivating or processing marijuana without a license would be treated as a Class 6 felony, while unlicensed sales would be handled as a misdemeanor that escalates with repeat offenses. Selling to someone under 21 would remain a Class 1 misdemeanor.

At the same time, several existing felony provisions tied to marijuana would be reduced or removed, including penalties related to transporting large amounts into the state and provisions that previously grouped marijuana with harder controlled substances under certain sentencing enhancements.

With unanimous support in subcommittee, the House version now advances in parallel with the Senate measure, setting up both chambers to continue debating how Virginia would transition from a possession-only legal framework to a fully regulated marijuana marketplace.