Virginia’s 2025 Governor’s Race: What’s at Stake for Cannabis Legalization

Updated: 5 November 2025 - Post-Election

When Virginians voted for governor on November 4, 2025, they not only picked a leader but also decided what becomes of the state’s unfinished experiment with marijuana legalization. Four years after lawmakers allowed possession , retail sales remained illegal — until the election of Abigail Spanberger signaled a policy shift toward establishing a regulated cannabis market. Her victory opened the door to retail sales that were twice vetoed by outgoing Governor Glenn Youngkin.

The two major candidates, Democratic nominee Abigail Spanberger and Republican nominee Winsome Earle-Sears, offer sharply contrasting visions.

Spanberger: Push for a Regulated Market

Spanberger, a former congresswoman from Henrico County, has long been an outspoken supporter of legal cannabis. She advocated moving Virginia from decriminalization to a regulated, taxed market that ensures consumer safety, channels revenue into schools and communities, and provides opportunities for farmers and small businesses.

In Congress, she consistently backed marijuana reform, voting for the MORE Act to decriminalize cannabis federally and the SAFE Banking Act to let dispensaries access the financial system. She has also pushed to expand medical cannabis program use and industrial hemp.

A Spanberger governorship, her supporters argued, would likely put Virginia on track to join neighboring Maryland, which launched sales in 2023 and quickly generated hundreds of millions in revenue.

Update (November 2025): On November 4, 2025, Spanberger won the governorship, ending years of legislative stalemate on cannabis policy. She announced that creating a regulated adult-use cannabis market will be one of her administration’s top priorities. Spanberger emphasized that the new retail system must prioritize consumer safety, business transparency, and fairness for small entrepreneurs, while ensuring tax revenue supports public education and community reinvestment. Her victory followed two vetoes of cannabis retail bills by outgoing Governor Glenn Youngkin, despite approval by the General Assembly. With Democrats now controlling both chambers of the legislature, advocates expect swift movement in early 2026. The legislature’s Joint Commission to Oversee the Transition into a Cannabis Retail Market is drafting framework legislation covering tax policy, THC potency limits, licensing rules, and local control. Once passed, Virginia will shed its status as the only U.S. state allowing personal cannabis possession but prohibiting retail sales.

Earle-Sears: Stop and Reverse

Earle-Sears, Virginia’s outgoing lieutenant governor, had been a steady critic of legalization. She called marijuana a “gateway drug” and opposed the General Assembly’s 2021 decriminalization and legalization bills . She cited workplace safety concerns and once dismissed an employee for marijuana use.

While she expressed limited openness to medical marijuana under strict limits, her administration would have likely maintained prohibitions on retail sales. Her defeat effectively ends executive-level Republican resistance to cannabis retail legislation for the coming term, shifting the political balance in favor of a regulated market.

What Virginians Stand to Gain - or Lose

Polling suggested the issue would influence undecided voters. A May 2025 survey from Roanoke College showed Spanberger leading 43% to 26%, with more than a quarter still uncommitted. Nationally, two-thirds of Americans now support legalization, and Virginia’s neighbors continue to move forward.

For many voters, the question is as much economic as cultural. Without legal retail, Virginia risks watching tax dollars and small business opportunities head to Maryland or Washington, D.C., where sales are already legal. Advocates argue that a regulated market would shrink the illicit trade; opponents worry it would normalize a risky drug.

Update (Post-Election Outlook): With Spanberger’s win, analysts project that legal cannabis sales could generate hundreds of millions of dollars annually once a retail system launches. The Virginia Cannabis Control Authority will oversee licensing, product testing, and marketing standards. Preliminary drafts from the legislature suggest a 15–20% excise tax on sales, with revenue earmarked for education, local government grants, and public safety. Economists note that the shift could attract new investment and agricultural expansion, positioning Virginia as a Mid-Atlantic hub for cannabis commerce by 2026.

A Clear Direction

The outcome of the election set Virginia’s course for years. Under Governor-elect Spanberger and a supportive legislature, the state now appears poised to deliver the long-promised legal cannabis retail market. The political stalemate that once froze the industry has ended — and Virginia’s next chapter in cannabis policy is now in motion.