Richmond, Va. (Newsradiowrva.com) - Gov. Glenn Youngkin has vetoed bills to increase Virginia’s minimum wage to $15 per hour by 2026 and open a recreational cannabis market.
Legislation to increase Virginia’s $12 hourly minimum wage to $13.50 by 2025 and $15 by 2026 passed along party lines and the bill to allow legal recreational weed sales in 2025 had one Republican support it.
“The free market for salaries and wages works,” Youngkin wrote in his veto statement. “It operates dynamically, responding to the nuances of varying economic conditions and regional differences.” He added that the measure “imperils market freedom and economic competitiveness.”
Youngkin has previously said he has little interest in opening a legal marketplace for recreational weed sales in 2025. In his veto statement, he said legalizing recreational marijuana would endanger public safety.
“The proposed legalization of retail marijuana in the Commonwealth endangers Virginians’ health and safety,” Youngkin wrote.
Youngkin’s office announced Thursday that he vetoed three other bills and signed 100. Lawmakers are slated to return to Richmond for the General Assembly’s reconvened session on April 17, when they will consider Youngkin’s amendments and vetoes.
