Virginia Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin vetoed two bills on Thursday that were largely backed by Democrats in the state.
Youngkin released a statement explaining his decision to veto a bill that would allow the retail sale of cannabis along with a bill that would gradually raise the state’s minimum wage to $15 an hour, WRIC reported. The Republican governor cited dangers to “Virginians’ health and safety” — especially for children — as the main reason for vetoing the marijuana bill.
“The proposed legalization of retail marijuana in the Commonwealth endangers Virginians’ health and safety. States following this path have seen adverse effects on children’s and adolescent’s health and safety, increased gang activity and violent crime, significant deterioration in mental health, decreased road safety, and significant costs associated with retail marijuana that far exceed tax revenue,” Youngkin wrote in the statement.
Virginia was the first Southern state to legalize marijuana in 2021, but the law didn’t allow for retail sales of the drug, according to the Associated Press. While it’s legal for Virginians who are 21 and older to possess and grow small amounts of cannabis as well as purchase cannabis through the state’s medical program, sales for recreational weed remain illegal with Youngkin’s veto.
“Addressing the inconsistencies in enforcement and regulation in Virginia’s current laws does not justify expanding access to cannabis, following the failed paths of other states and endangering Virginians’ health and safety,” Youngkin said.
Youngkin also vetoed another Democrat-supported bill that would raise the state’s minimum wage, which stands at $12 an hour, to $13.50 by 2025 and $15 by 2026. The governor said the proposed minimum wage increase “imperils market freedom and economic competitiveness.”
“The free market for salaries and wages works,” said Youngkin. “It operates dynamically, responding to the nuances of varying economic conditions and regional differences.”
Youngkin also expressed concern about how the minimum wage bill would affect small businesses in rural parts of Virginia, where the economic conditions don’t match those of the cities in the northern part of the state.
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“Implementing a $15-per-hour wage mandate may not impact Northern Virginia, where economic conditions create a higher cost of living, but this approach is detrimental for small businesses across the rest of Virginia, especially in Southwest and Southside,” he said. “A one-size-fits-all mandate ignores the vast economic and geographic differences and undermines the ability to adapt to regional cost-of-living differences and market dynamics.”
The minimum wage increase passed by Virginia Democrats in 2020 established the $12-an-hour rate and allows for further bumps in the future as long as the state’s Assembly votes in favor of increasing the minimum wage again. Currently, Virginia has a higher minimum wage than over half of the country.
