Proposed Virginia Firearm Legislation SB542
Legislation Overview
Title: Cannabis control; establishes framework for creation of retail marijuana market, penalties, report.
Description: Cannabis control; retail market; penalties. Establishes a framework for the creation of a retail marijuana market in the Commonwealth and provides that no retail sales may occur prior to January 1, 2027. The bill requires that no later than January 1, 2028, the Virginia Cannabis Control Authority (CCA) shall become a division of the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority (ABC) to form the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Cannabis Control Authority (ABCCA). No later than November 15, 2026, the bill requires ABC and CCA to submit a joint implementation plan to combine the two authorities to the Joint Commission to Oversee the Transition of the Commonwealth into a Cannabis Retail Market and the Chairs of the House Committee on Appropriations and the Senate Committee on Finance and Appropriations. The bill specifies that prior to the transition to the ABCCA, the CCA shall administer the licensing and regulation of the retail cannabis market and ABC shall be the primary authority responsible for enforcing laws related to the illegal sale and distribution of marijuana and marijuana products.
Session: 2026 Regular Regular Session
Last Action: Referred to Committee on General Laws
Last Action Date: February 23, 2026
Sponsors
Note: the first sponsor listed is normally the primary sponsor. If a sponsor's name is a hyperlink you can click on it to 'follow the money'.
3 sponsors: Lashrecse Aird (D); Louise Lucas (D); Aaron Rouse (D);
Percentage of Senate sponsoring bill: 8% (3 of 40)
History
| Chamber | Date | Action |
| House | Feb 23, 2026 | Read first time |
| House | Feb 23, 2026 | Placed on Calendar |
| House | Feb 23, 2026 | Referred to Committee on General Laws |
| Senate | Feb 17, 2026 | Read third time and passed Senate (20-Y 19-N 1-A) |
| Senate | Feb 17, 2026 | Fiscal Impact statement From VCSC (2/17/2026 8:52 am) |
| Senate | Feb 17, 2026 | Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (SB542) |
| Senate | Feb 17, 2026 | Read third time and passed Senate (21-Y 19-N 0-A) |
| Senate | Feb 17, 2026 | Reconsideration of passage agreed to by Senate (40-Y 0-N 0-A) |
| Senate | Feb 16, 2026 | Committee substitute rejected (Voice Vote) |
| Senate | Feb 16, 2026 | Engrossed by Senate - committee substitute (Voice Vote) |
| Senate | Feb 16, 2026 | Committee substitute agreed to (Voice Vote) |
| Senate | Feb 16, 2026 | Committee substitute rejected (Voice Vote) |
| Senate | Feb 16, 2026 | Read second time |
| Senate | Feb 13, 2026 | Constitutional reading dispensed (on 1st reading) (35-Y 0-N 0-A) |
| Senate | Feb 13, 2026 | Rules suspended |
| Senate | Feb 13, 2026 | Committee substitute printed 26107979D-S3 |
| Senate | Feb 13, 2026 | Passed by for the day |
| Senate | Feb 13, 2026 | Substitute bill reprinted 26107979D |
| Senate | Feb 12, 2026 | Incorporates SB826 (Lucas) |
| Senate | Feb 12, 2026 | Reported from Finance and Appropriations with substitute (7-Y 5-N 3-A) |
| Senate | Feb 6, 2026 | Fiscal Impact statement From VCSC (2/6/2026 2:10 pm) |
| Senate | Feb 6, 2026 | Committee substitute printed 26107341D-S2 |
| Senate | Feb 5, 2026 | Senate committee offered |
| Senate | Feb 4, 2026 | Senate committee amendments offered |
| Senate | Feb 4, 2026 | Reported from Courts of Justice with substitute and rereferred to Finance and Appropriations (9-Y 6-N) |
| Senate | Feb 4, 2026 | Senate committee offered |
| Senate | Jan 23, 2026 | Incorporates SB671 (Rouse) |
| Senate | Jan 23, 2026 | Fiscal Impact statement From VCSC (1/23/2026 4:45 pm) |
| Senate | Jan 23, 2026 | Reported from Rehabilitation and Social Services with substitute and rereferred to Courts of Justice (8-Y 7-N) |
| Senate | Jan 23, 2026 | Senate committee offered |
| Senate | Jan 20, 2026 | Fiscal Impact statement From VCSC (1/20/2026 1:49 pm) |
| Senate | Jan 13, 2026 | Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26104073D |
| Senate | Jan 13, 2026 | Referred to Committee on Rehabilitation and Social Services |
Texts
| Type | Date | State Link | Text |
| Comm Sub | Feb 13, 2026 | state link | bill text |
| Comm Sub | Feb 6, 2026 | state link | bill text |
| Comm Sub | Feb 5, 2026 | state link | bill text |
| Comm Sub | Feb 4, 2026 | state link | bill text |
| Comm Sub | Jan 23, 2026 | state link | bill text |
| Comm Sub | Jan 23, 2026 | state link | bill text |
| Introduced | Jan 13, 2026 | state link | bill text |
Amendments
| Title | Description | Date | State Link | Text | Adopted |
| Courts of Justice Amendment | Courts of Justice Amendment | Nov 30, -0001 | State Link | amendment text | No |
Votes - Click on description to view vote roll call
| Description | Vote Date | Yea Votes | Nay Votes | No Votes | Absent | Passed |
| Reported from Rehabilitation and Social Services with substitute and rereferred to Courts of Justice (8-Y 7-N) | 01/23/2026 | 8 | 7 | 0 | 0 | Yes |
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| resort votes by: party yeas nays name | ||||||
| Reported from Courts of Justice with substitute and rereferred to Finance and Appropriations (9-Y 6-N) | 02/4/2026 | 9 | 6 | 0 | 0 | Yes |
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| resort votes by: party yeas nays name | ||||||
| Reported from Finance and Appropriations with substitute (7-Y 5-N 3-A) | 02/12/2026 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 0 | Yes |
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| resort votes by: party yeas nays name | ||||||
| Constitutional reading dispensed (on 1st reading) (35-Y 0-N 0-A) | 02/13/2026 | 35 | 0 | 0 | 5 | Yes |
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| resort votes by: party yeas nays name | ||||||
| Read third time and passed Senate (20-Y 19-N 1-A) | 02/17/2026 | 20 | 19 | 1 | 0 | Yes |
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| resort votes by: party yeas nays name | ||||||
| Reconsideration of passage agreed to by Senate (40-Y 0-N 0-A) | 02/17/2026 | 40 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Yes |
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| resort votes by: party yeas nays name | ||||||
| Read third time and passed Senate (21-Y 19-N 0-A) | 02/17/2026 | 21 | 19 | 0 | 0 | Yes |
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| resort votes by: party yeas nays name | ||||||
Link: link to state bill page
