{"id":553,"date":"2026-06-22T15:08:26","date_gmt":"2026-06-22T15:08:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/propertytransitionmedia.com\/?p=553"},"modified":"2026-06-22T15:08:26","modified_gmt":"2026-06-22T15:08:26","slug":"in-another-sellout-spanberger-turns-virginia-into-giant-weed-dispensary","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/propertytransitionmedia.com\/?p=553","title":{"rendered":"In Another Sellout, Spanberger Turns Virginia Into Giant Weed Dispensary"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Gov. Abigail Spanberger campaigned as a pragmatic leader who would put Virginia families first. Yet when faced with a looming government shutdown, she chose to sell out Virginia\u2019s children and communities by agreeing to a deal that brings recreational marijuana dispensaries to the commonwealth.<\/p>\n

Read more New York Times Celebrates Father\u2019s Day By Running \u2018Bearded Women Can Replace Dads\u2019 Propaganda<\/a><\/p>\n

While the governor claims this compromise creates a \u201csafe, legal, and well-regulated\u201d cannabis market, Virginians should not be fooled. This agreement will expand marijuana use, increase addiction, normalize drug culture, and leave families to bear the costs.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s begin with an inconvenient fact: Marijuana is not harmless.<\/p>\n

Whether illicit or regulated, marijuana remains a drug that profits from addiction. It is estimated that more than\u00a060 million\u00a0Americans now use marijuana, and\u00a0Yale researchers report\u00a0that \u201c30% of current users meet the criteria for addiction.\u201d\u00a0Research\u00a0has also documented psychotic symptoms during intoxication, including paranoia and hallucinations. Legalization does not make marijuana safer; it simply makes it more accessible.<\/p>\n

Supporters argue that restricting sales to those 21 and older will keep marijuana away from children. Virginians have every reason to be skeptical. Vaping products are already illegal for minors, yet Virginia schools continue to struggle with widespread youth vaping. More than 8 percent of Virginia high school students and more than 4 percent of middle school students e-cigarettes. Between 2020 and 2023, vaping-related emergency room visits more than doubled.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Researchers\u00a0have also found cannabis and synthetic THC in a significant percentage of confiscated vape devices. If existing age restrictions have failed to keep nicotine products out of children\u2019s hands, why should Virginians believe marijuana will be any different?<\/p>\n

The compromise plan delays implementation of penalties for public marijuana consumption. But why? If public consumption is a problem worthy of regulation, why would enforcement be postponed? One of the most common complaints from Virginians who visit Washington, D.C., is the pervasive smell of marijuana in public spaces. Residents, families, and tourists should not be forced to navigate parks, sidewalks, and historic districts while being subjected to secondhand marijuana smoke. What in the governor\u2019s plan will prevent Virginia from following the same path? <\/p>\n

To make matters worse, this half-baked compromise doubles the amount of marijuana that can be legally possessed from one ounce to two, further expanding access and normalizing use.<\/p>\n

The marijuana industry wants the revenue benefits of legalization while keeping prices low enough to compete with illegal dealers, a contradiction that demonstrates how difficult it is to regulate and control a product that was once sold exclusively on the black market.<\/p>\n

While the promise of tax revenue may sound appealing, Virginians should look beyond the state\u2019s projected windfall and consider the real costs of legalization. According to a\u00a0report\u00a0from the Centennial Institute, Colorado spent approximately $4.50 addressing the consequences of marijuana legalization for every $1 collected in tax revenue. Other\u00a0research\u00a0has found that the commercialization of cannabis is associated with a 17 percent increase in substance use disorders, a 35 percent increase in chronic homelessness, and a 13 percent increase in law enforcement arrests. <\/p>\n

Read more Here Are 4 Reads To Upskill Your Homemaking This Summer<\/a><\/p>\n

The marijuana industry is eager to talk about tax revenue. It is far less eager to discuss the addiction, public safety concerns, and social costs that often follow.<\/p>\n

This deal also authorizes up to 350 retail licenses statewide, a dramatic increase from the 200 licenses previously contemplated. Yet it remains unclear whether local communities will have meaningful authority to prevent dispensaries from opening in their neighborhoods. Virginians should be asking why unelected regulators, rather than local residents and elected officials, will decide whether pot shops belong in their communities.<\/p>\n

Perhaps most outrageous is where the state intends to direct the proceeds. Seventy-five percent of first-year licensing fee revenue will be diverted to the Cannabis Equity Business Loan Fund to help entrepreneurs in communities supposedly \u201charmed by prior cannabis laws.\u201d In practice, this means prioritizing the expansion of the marijuana industry into many of the very neighborhoods that have already struggled with drug abuse and its consequences. <\/p>\n

This is perverse logic. Residents of high-crime and economically challenged communities do not need more drug businesses. They need safer streets, stronger schools, greater economic opportunity, and hope for the next generation. Using taxpayer dollars to subsidize government-approved pot shops in vulnerable communities is not compassionate public policy \u2014 it is insulting and counterproductive.<\/p>\n

Gov. Spanberger portrays this agreement as a reasonable compromise. In reality, she abandoned demands for stricter penalties, agreed to double the legal possession limit, expanded the number of retail licenses from 200 to 350, and accepted a framework that will normalize marijuana use across the commonwealth. <\/p>\n

Former Gov. Glenn Youngkin was right to veto retail marijuana sales during his administration. This legislation does not create a safer or more regulated market. It creates a larger marijuana industry. <\/p>\n

Virginia\u2019s children, families, and communities deserve better than a policy that prioritizes cannabis profits over public well-being. Spanberger isn\u2019t protecting Virginia from the marijuana industry; she is throwing the commonwealth under the cannabis.<\/p>\n

Read more Reading Good Literature Can Help Restore America\u2019s Civic Virtue<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Gov. Abigail Spanberger isn’t protecting Virginia from the marijuana industry; she is throwing the commonwealth under the cannabis.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":552,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[478],"tags":[203,2041,2042,2043,122,2044,1315,2045,767,2046,900,2047,2048,1322,2049,2019,2050,1004,2051,771],"class_list":["post-553","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-government","tag-abigail-spanberger","tag-cannabis","tag-cannabis-equity-business-loan-fund","tag-centennial-institute","tag-colorado","tag-drug-addiction","tag-drugs","tag-e-cigarettes","tag-glenn-youngkin","tag-hallucination","tag-high-school","tag-illegal-drugs","tag-intoxication","tag-marijuana","tag-marijuana-legalization","tag-middle-school","tag-pot","tag-taxes","tag-vaping","tag-virginia"],"yoast_head":"\nIn Another Sellout, Spanberger Turns Virginia Into Giant Weed Dispensary - Property Transition Media<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/propertytransitionmedia.com\/?p=553\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"In Another Sellout, Spanberger Turns Virginia Into Giant Weed Dispensary - Property Transition Media\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Gov. Abigail Spanberger isn't protecting Virginia from the marijuana industry; she is throwing the commonwealth under the cannabis.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/propertytransitionmedia.com\/?p=553\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Property Transition Media\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-06-22T15:08:26+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/propertytransitionmedia.com\\\/?p=553#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/propertytransitionmedia.com\\\/?p=553\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/propertytransitionmedia.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/318e38080556664c79a2d76a6b0894b2\"},\"headline\":\"In Another Sellout, Spanberger Turns Virginia Into Giant Weed Dispensary\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-22T15:08:26+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/propertytransitionmedia.com\\\/?p=553\"},\"wordCount\":861,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/propertytransitionmedia.com\\\/?p=553#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/propertytransitionmedia.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/fa31e7dc490e5bc11b1fbabbe7649ecd.webp\",\"keywords\":[\"Abigail Spanberger\",\"cannabis\",\"Cannabis Equity Business Loan Fund\",\"Centennial Institute\",\"Colorado\",\"drug addiction\",\"drugs\",\"e-cigarettes\",\"Glenn Youngkin\",\"hallucination\",\"high school\",\"illegal drugs\",\"intoxication\",\"marijuana\",\"marijuana legalization\",\"middle school\",\"Pot\",\"taxes\",\"vaping\",\"Virginia\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Government\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/propertytransitionmedia.com\\\/?p=553#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/propertytransitionmedia.com\\\/?p=553\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/propertytransitionmedia.com\\\/?p=553\",\"name\":\"In Another Sellout, Spanberger Turns Virginia Into Giant Weed Dispensary - Property Transition Media\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/propertytransitionmedia.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/propertytransitionmedia.com\\\/?p=553#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/propertytransitionmedia.com\\\/?p=553#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/propertytransitionmedia.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/fa31e7dc490e5bc11b1fbabbe7649ecd.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-22T15:08:26+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/propertytransitionmedia.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/318e38080556664c79a2d76a6b0894b2\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/propertytransitionmedia.com\\\/?p=553#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/propertytransitionmedia.com\\\/?p=553\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/propertytransitionmedia.com\\\/?p=553#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/propertytransitionmedia.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/fa31e7dc490e5bc11b1fbabbe7649ecd.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/propertytransitionmedia.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/fa31e7dc490e5bc11b1fbabbe7649ecd.webp\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":675},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/propertytransitionmedia.com\\\/?p=553#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/propertytransitionmedia.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"In Another Sellout, Spanberger Turns Virginia Into Giant Weed Dispensary\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/propertytransitionmedia.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/propertytransitionmedia.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Property Transition Media\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/propertytransitionmedia.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/propertytransitionmedia.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/318e38080556664c79a2d76a6b0894b2\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/propertytransitionmedia.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/propertytransitionmedia.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"In Another Sellout, Spanberger Turns Virginia Into Giant Weed Dispensary - Property Transition Media","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/propertytransitionmedia.com\/?p=553","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"In Another Sellout, Spanberger Turns Virginia Into Giant Weed Dispensary - Property Transition Media","og_description":"Gov. Abigail Spanberger isn't protecting Virginia from the marijuana industry; she is throwing the commonwealth under the cannabis.","og_url":"https:\/\/propertytransitionmedia.com\/?p=553","og_site_name":"Property Transition Media","article_published_time":"2026-06-22T15:08:26+00:00","author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/propertytransitionmedia.com\/?p=553#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/propertytransitionmedia.com\/?p=553"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/propertytransitionmedia.com\/#\/schema\/person\/318e38080556664c79a2d76a6b0894b2"},"headline":"In Another Sellout, Spanberger Turns Virginia Into Giant Weed Dispensary","datePublished":"2026-06-22T15:08:26+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/propertytransitionmedia.com\/?p=553"},"wordCount":861,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/propertytransitionmedia.com\/?p=553#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/propertytransitionmedia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/fa31e7dc490e5bc11b1fbabbe7649ecd.webp","keywords":["Abigail Spanberger","cannabis","Cannabis Equity Business Loan Fund","Centennial Institute","Colorado","drug addiction","drugs","e-cigarettes","Glenn Youngkin","hallucination","high school","illegal drugs","intoxication","marijuana","marijuana legalization","middle school","Pot","taxes","vaping","Virginia"],"articleSection":["Government"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/propertytransitionmedia.com\/?p=553#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/propertytransitionmedia.com\/?p=553","url":"https:\/\/propertytransitionmedia.com\/?p=553","name":"In Another Sellout, Spanberger Turns Virginia Into Giant Weed Dispensary - Property Transition Media","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/propertytransitionmedia.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/propertytransitionmedia.com\/?p=553#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/propertytransitionmedia.com\/?p=553#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/propertytransitionmedia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/fa31e7dc490e5bc11b1fbabbe7649ecd.webp","datePublished":"2026-06-22T15:08:26+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/propertytransitionmedia.com\/#\/schema\/person\/318e38080556664c79a2d76a6b0894b2"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/propertytransitionmedia.com\/?p=553#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/propertytransitionmedia.com\/?p=553"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/propertytransitionmedia.com\/?p=553#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/propertytransitionmedia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/fa31e7dc490e5bc11b1fbabbe7649ecd.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/propertytransitionmedia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/fa31e7dc490e5bc11b1fbabbe7649ecd.webp","width":1200,"height":675},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/propertytransitionmedia.com\/?p=553#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/propertytransitionmedia.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"In Another Sellout, Spanberger Turns Virginia Into Giant Weed Dispensary"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/propertytransitionmedia.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/propertytransitionmedia.com\/","name":"Property Transition Media","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/propertytransitionmedia.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/propertytransitionmedia.com\/#\/schema\/person\/318e38080556664c79a2d76a6b0894b2","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/propertytransitionmedia.com"],"url":"https:\/\/propertytransitionmedia.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/propertytransitionmedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/553","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/propertytransitionmedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/propertytransitionmedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/propertytransitionmedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/propertytransitionmedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=553"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/propertytransitionmedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/553\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/propertytransitionmedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/552"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/propertytransitionmedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=553"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/propertytransitionmedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=553"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/propertytransitionmedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=553"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}