Are There Recreational Dispensaries in Virginia?

There are no recreational dispensaries in Virginia open to the public today. The General Assembly passed legislation in 2026 setting up a retail marijuana market run by the Virginia Cannabis Control Authority, but the law bars any retail sales before January 1, 2027. Until a storefront system actually launches, adults 21 and older can legally possess and grow small amounts of cannabis, but they cannot walk into a store and buy it for recreational use.

When Retail Stores Are Expected to Open

The earliest possible date for recreational sales is January 1, 2027. That floor comes from HB 642, which passed both chambers in the 2026 session and establishes the framework for a retail marijuana market administered by the Virginia Cannabis Control Authority (CCA). The same bill transfers oversight of regulated hemp products to the CCA on that date.¹

Getting here took more than one try. In March 2025, Governor Glenn Youngkin vetoed HB 2485, which would have opened retail sales as early as May 2026. His veto message said a retail market “endangers Virginians’ health and safety.”² The 2026 legislation moved forward with the later start date.

The CCA will handle licensing for cultivation facilities, manufacturers, wholesalers, testing labs, and retail stores, and it is required to develop a seed-to-sale tracking system that follows cannabis from the plant stage through the point of sale.³ How quickly stores actually open after January 1, 2027 will depend on how fast the agency can write regulations and process applications.

What You Can Legally Do Before Stores Open

Virginia law lets adults 21 and older possess up to one ounce of marijuana on their person or in any public place.⁴ Since there is no legal recreational storefront, that cannabis has to come from somewhere else: your own plants or a gift from another adult.

Growing at Home

Adults 21 and older may grow up to four marijuana plants per household at their primary residence. “Household” covers everyone living at the same address, so roommates share a single four-plant cap rather than counting separately. Each plant must carry a legible tag with the grower’s name, driver’s license or ID number, and a note that the plant is for personal use.⁵

Plants cannot be visible from any public road or sidewalk without the aid of binoculars or similar tools, and growers must take steps to keep plants away from anyone under 21. Breaking the tagging or visibility rules is a civil penalty of up to $25. You also cannot turn home-grown plants into marijuana concentrate.⁵

Sharing With Another Adult

Adults 21 and older may share up to one ounce with another adult, as long as nothing of value changes hands. Handing a friend a small amount at a cookout is legal. Selling a $60 sticker or candle with a “free gift” of cannabis attached is not. Enforcement treats that as a sale, and the penalties are significant: distributing up to one ounce is a Class 1 misdemeanor carrying up to 12 months in jail and a $2,500 fine, and anything above one ounce becomes a felony.⁶

So-called “gifting” shops and delivery services that pair a nominal purchase with “free” cannabis are not operating within the law, regardless of how the transaction is dressed up.

The Only Dispensaries Open Today Are Medical

Virginia already has 23 medical cannabis dispensaries across the state, run by several licensed companies covering Northern Virginia, the southwestern region, south-central Virginia, and the eastern shore area.⁷ These are the only brick-and-mortar stores legally selling cannabis in Virginia right now, and they can only sell to patients with a valid certification.

To use a medical dispensary, you need a written certification from a registered practitioner stating that cannabis use could benefit a diagnosed condition. Virginia no longer requires patients to obtain a separate registration card from the CCA; the written certification is enough to make a purchase.⁸ The practitioner consultation generally costs between $75 and $200, paid to the certifying doctor rather than to the state.

Medical patients can also grow up to four plants at home under the same rules that apply to any other adult.⁵

What the Retail Market Will Look Like

Once sales begin, the CCA will act as the primary regulator. It already runs the medical program and has existing infrastructure for business licensing, safety standards, and product tracking.⁹ The agency will license five categories of marijuana establishments: cultivation facilities, testing laboratories, manufacturers, wholesalers, and retail stores.³

Expect a noticeable tax at the register. Companion legislation sets a combined rate of roughly 17 percent: a 12.875 percent marijuana excise tax, a 1.125 percent state sales tax, and a mandatory 3 percent local tax on retail cannabis sales.¹⁰

The 23 existing medical dispensaries may form the initial retail footprint once the transition happens. How many additional stores open, and how quickly, will depend on the regulations the CCA adopts in the months leading up to January 1, 2027.

Buying Outside the Legal Channels

Because no recreational storefronts exist yet, any seller offering to sell you cannabis for recreational use is operating illegally, and so is the buyer in some circumstances. Selling marijuana remains a crime regardless of amount: distribution of up to one ounce is a Class 1 misdemeanor, over one ounce to five pounds is a Class 5 felony, and over five pounds carries 5 to 30 years in prison.⁶ For an adult who wants legal access before 2027, the only options are growing at home within the four-plant limit or receiving cannabis as a true gift from another adult.

1
Virginia General Assembly / LIS. HB642 – 2026 Regular Session
2
Virginia General Assembly / LIS. HB2485VG – 2025 Regular Session
3
Virginia Code Commission. Authorities – Cannabis Control Authority, Virginia
4
Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 4.1-1100 – Possession of Marijuana and Marijuana Products by Persons 21 Years of Age or Older Lawful; Penalties
5
Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 4.1-1101 – Home Cultivation of Marijuana for Personal Use; Penalties
6
Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 18.2-248.1 – Penalties for Sale, Gift, Distribution or Possession With Intent to Sell, Give or Distribute Marijuana
7
Virginia Cannabis Control Authority. Medical Cannabis Dispensary Locations
8
Virginia Cannabis Control Authority. Patients, Parents, Legal Guardians, and Registered Agents
9
Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Administrative Code – Title 3, Agency 10, Virginia Cannabis Control Authority
10
Virginia General Assembly / LIS. SB826 – 2026 Regular Session