Fairfax County leaders have begun working to determine what local steps are needed to implement changes in state cannabis laws, and what regulatory powers they will have.
“We want to make sure we put in place what we need to put in place,” Board Chair Jeff McKay said at the July 7 meeting of the Board of Supervisors’ Land Use Policy Committee.
After months of legislative dueling in Richmond, the General Assembly and Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D) agreed in June to allow retail sales of marijuana, starting July 1, 2027. The parameters were solidified as part of the biennial state budget adopted on June 29.
“It seemed like it was off this year [in Richmond] and now it’s on,” McKay said of the political squabble and eventual compromise.
Spanberger initially vetoed bills from Del. Paul Krizek (D-16) and Sen. Lashrecse Aird (D-13) that would’ve established a framework for a retail marijuana market six years after Virginia legalized adult possession of small amounts of the drug. One of her concerns was the planned start date of Jan. 1, 2027.
The legislation caps the total number of statewide licenses at 350 venues and gives localities some regulatory discretion, such as setting operating hours.
Leslie Johnson, the county’s zoning administrator, said staff would work in the coming months to address provisions of the legislation.
“Our target is going to be having updates in the ordinance” in front of supervisors in a timely fashion, she said.
The discussion on cannabis regulation was part of a broader review of county staff’s work plan for proposed amendments to the zoning ordinance.
Hunter Mill District Supervisor Walter Alcorn said it would be important for the local government to “understand what our options are” under the new state legislation.
Alcorn said local leaders and the public need to “spend a little time thinking” about the implications of legal marijuana sales before formally addressing the matter through the zoning ordinance.
Photo via Richard T/The CBD on Unsplash
