Republican Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin vetoed two top Democratic legislative priorities on Thursday: bills that would have allowed the recreational retail salesof marijuana to begin next year and measures mandating a minimum wage increase.

The development, which drew criticism from Democrats who control the General Assembly, did not come as a surprise. While Youngkin had not explicitly threatened to veto either set of bills, he told reporters he didn’t think the minimum wage legislation was needed and had repeatedly said he was uninterested in setting up retail marijuana sales.

In 2021, Virginia became the first Southern state to legalize marijuana, adopting a policy change that allowed adults age 21 and up to possess and cultivate the drug. But the state didn’t set up retail sales at the time and still hasn’t, due to shifts in partisan power and policy differences since then.

    • @theangryseal@lemmy.world
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      fedilink
      13 months ago

      Yeah absolutely. I get his point. He could have said something like, “I’m sure someone out there is going to be upset that schools don’t teach that 1+1=11. Kids should leave school with the skills to be adults in the working world and that’s where I stand. For parents who don’t want secular curriculum taught to their kids, homeschooling is a great option. I’m against indoctrinating kids in any way in public schools and for teaching them.”

      Bam, that easy.

      Some people would have spun it anyway, but headlines wouldn’t have said “MCAULIFFE WANTS PARENTS OUT OF THE PICTURE IN SCHOOLS. ANTICHRIST INDOCTRINATION INCOMING!!”