Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin vetoes bill that would legalize weed sales in Virginia declaring cannabis 'bad' and a gateway to gang activity and violent crime

Virginia Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin vetoed a bill that would have legalized marijuana sales in the commonwealth. 

The legislation to create a weed commercial retail market in the state passed in both chambers of the Virginia General Assembly earlier this year. 

It would have let sales begin next year, but the GOP governor said 'cannabis is bad' for the state.

'In all the other states that have had an extensive retail market, what you see is first it's terrible for children and adolescents' health and safety, massive increases in child poisonings, massive increases in adolescent usage,' Youngkin claimed in an interview with a local reporter for WJLA-TV. 

'And of course, when you combine that with the fact that the potency of cannabis today is dangerous, it drives mental health challenges and mental health sickness to the point of psychosis,' he went on.

Youngkin also claimed states with marijuana sales have seen a 'systematic increases' in violent crime.

Virginia Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin vetoed legislation creating a retail market for marijuana in the state calling it 'bad' for Virginia

'Cannabis is bad for Virginia, the law enforcement community does not want it, healthcare workers do not want it and let me tell you parents do not want it in their children's lives,' Youngkin said.

In 2021, Virginia became the first state in the south to legalize marijuana possession for adults ages 21 and up under then-Democratic Governor Ralph Northam, but gridlock had stopped the state from setting up a retails sales market since then.

Earlier this year, Youngkin said he really did not have an 'interest' in it and did not say which way he would come down on the bill as it made its way through the state legislature.

The bill would have allowed Virginia to start taking applications for sales starting in September with markets to open in May 2025.  

After vetoing the bill Youngkin dismissed the argument that the move would boost revenues in the state, saying that was not the case in Colorado. 

Virginia became the first southern state to legalize Marijuana possession for adults 21 and up in 2021, but the path to creating retail market has hit a series of setbacks

Colorado marijuana sales since it was legalized in 2014 have totaled more than $15 billion, with taxes collected on sales totaling more than $2.5 billion, a small fraction of the state's budget overall.

In Virginia, the sale of products would have been taxed at a rate of up to 11.625 percent with 8 percent of it going to the state and 2.5 percent being a local option tax and 1.125 percent going to K-12 education. 

Democrats control both the state's House and Senate and the legislation moved forward largely along party lines with just a few Republicans backing it. 

Marijuana is legal for medical use in 38 states and Washington, DC and for recreational use in 24 states.