Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D-VA) on Tuesday vetoed legislation that would have created Virginia’s cannabis retail market, halting an effort lawmakers spent months negotiating. Her decision comes five years after the state legalized marijuana possession.

The decision also follows a standoff between the Democratic governor and the Virginia General Assembly over extensive revisions Spanberger sought to make to the legislation passed during the 2026 session. Lawmakers declined to adopt the governor’s rewritten version, which included 40 changes, and returned the original proposal to her desk, forcing a final up-or-down decision.