RICHMOND, Va. (CN) — Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin on Thursday added to his record-breaking number of vetoes, giving the boot to both a retail cannabis market and a minimum-wage increase.
Youngkin also added seven more bills to his veto bucket, including those to reexamine cannabis-related criminal records and increase farmworker pay. All told, he's vetoed a total of 87 bills in this legislative cycle alone.
Democrats hoped to have a retail market in place by the end of the year, after Virginia legalized recreational cannabis use in 2021. While people over 21 can possess up to an ounce of cannabis in Virginia, the state has so far created no legal recreational market. To obtain the substance, Virginians must either cultivate their own or receive doctor approval.
Youngkin wrote a lengthy explanation for his veto, citing what he called adverse effects on youth and increases in violent crime.
"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 said in a statement. "It also does not eliminate the illegal black-market sale of cannabis, nor guarantee product safety."
According to Youngkin, children exposed to cannabis suffer from lost intelligence, psychosis and other mental health problems — problems also seen in children exposed to alcohol, which is legal throughout the country. Youngkin also claimed that inconsistencies in enforcement and regulation in Virginia's current laws do not justify expanding access to cannabis.
Responding to the governor's veto, Democrats retorted that the current black-market system creates more harm than a regulated market would.
"Governor Youngkin's dismissive stance towards addressing Virginia's cannabis sales dilemma is unacceptable," Aaron Rouse, a Democrat and the chief patron of the state Senate version of the bill, said in a statement. "Public servants are obligated to tackle pressing issues, regardless of their origin or culpability. They cannot cherry-pick which problems to address."
"Governor Youngkin's failure to act allows an already thriving illegal cannabis market to persist, fueling criminal activity and endangering our communities," Paul Krizek, the bill's Democratic patron in the House of Delegates, likewise said in a statement. "This veto squandered a vital opportunity to safeguard Virginians and will only exacerbate the proliferation of illicit products, posing greater risks to our schools and public safety."
Creating a legal cannabis market wasn't the only Democratic priority that saw a veto from Youngkin on Thursday. The Republican governor also vetoed a Democratic bill that would have raised the minimum wage to $13.50 per hour and eventually increased it to $15.
Virginia's current minimum wage is $12 an hour, which equals $24,960 in annual salary. Youngkin, who previously served as co-CEO at the private equity giant The Carlyle Group, said measures to increase the minimum wage would harm Virginia's competitiveness.
"The free market for salaries and wages works," Youngkin said in a statement. "It operates dynamically, responding to the nuances of varying economic conditions and regional differences. This wage mandate imperils market freedom and economic competitiveness."
The bill's Senate patron, President Pro Tempore Louise Lucas, released a statement shortly after the veto.
"I am profoundly disappointed by Governor Youngkin's decision to veto legislation that represented a crucial step toward ensuring financial security for all Virginians," the Democratic lawmaker said. "it's a direct affront to the hard-working individuals who keep Virginia moving forward."
Also on Thursday, Youngkin cited public safety as a reason for vetoing another Democratic bill, which would have required mandatory hearings to consider reducing sentences for those currently incarcerated or on community supervision for felony marijuana convictions.
"This bill grants eligibility to a significant number of violent felons who have already received a full and fair hearing," Youngkin said. "Now is not the time to allow an imprudent resentencing process that undermines public safety."
The bill's patron, State Senator Angelia Williams Graves, responded that the legislation aimed to give another chance to those incarcerated for cannabis charges, which are no longer classified as felonies.
"By denying this legislation, the governor not only overlooks the clear shift in our society's perspective on cannabis but also refuses a hand of reconciliation and repair to those affected," the Democrat said in a statement. "It's a decision that leaves a stain on our collective conscience as we strive to build a more inclusive and fair Commonwealth."
Last but not least, Youngkin also vetoed a measure to remove the farmworker's exception from the state's minimum wage act. Under current law, Virginia farm owners are only required to pay their workers the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour.
The vetoes come a day after a Youngkin-backed plan to move the Washington Wizards and Capitals franchises to Northern Virginia reached its demise. Youngkin needed Democrats, who control both chambers of the General Assembly, to approve language in the state budget that would have provided funding for the arena and entertainment district. They declined.
Democrats in Virginia's House of Delegates were willing to include the arena, but Lucas, the Senate's president pro tempore, used her authority to prevent the Senate from voting on it. Youngkin hinted at revenge at the end of the legislative session, telling reporters that Democrat's omission of the arena could lead to them having to wait at least another year to pass their own priorities.
"There have been a lot of things that have been discussed that have been part of an overall broad discussion with regards to not just the Monumental deal but a lot of other things," Youngkin said, referencing his arena plan. "I think this really sets us meaningfully back."
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