Governor Abigail Spanberger has vetoed Virginia’s long-debated marijuana retail legislation, halting plans to create a regulated adult-use cannabis market and exposing divisions between legalization advocates, hemp businesses, and state leadership over the future of...
On Saturday May 16, hundreds rallied at the Virginia Capitol and then took to the streets of Richmond for the kickoff campaign for the November election for reproductive freedom. “This amendment will be on the ballot on November 3rd and every day until then we need to talk our family, friends and neighbors about what is at...
Governor Abigail Spanberger signed Senate Bill 62 into law late Thursday night, creating a pathway for courts to revisit certain marijuana-related convictions handed down before legalization. The bill, officially titled “Modification of sentence for marijuana-related offenses,” establishes a resentencing process for people still incarcerated...
I sat down with Salaam Bhatti to talk about redistricting, campaign finance, and a government operating outside the interests of its donor class. What stood out to me most was his sincerity and the kindness in his politics. He presented a connection between empathy and a functional democracy. But beyond that tone, what emerged in our...
It’s now been about a month since I had this conversation with Tim Cywinski. It has remained relevant despite the century of news that has transpired since then. Donald Trump just announced he was going to wipe the 5000+ years-old Iranian civilization off the map. This is just one of a dozen (at least) horrifying, beyond career-ending...
I had a friend ask me about redistricting. He was trying to figure out how to vote and admitted he did not really understand what was happening. He leans left, so the fact that he was unsure says something about how this issue is being presented right now. Virginia Republicans have framed it in a way that leaves out key context, which has...
Virginia’s effort to revisit outdated cannabis convictions is moving forward again, though in a revised form that shifts how people access relief. Governor Abigail Spanberger’s amendments to SB 62 / HB 26 replace the bill’s original automatic resentencing framework with a petition-based process. The legislation is intended to give courts the...
Lawmakers are clearing the way for use of the psychedelic mushroom compound psilocybin as a potential medical treatment, once a formulation is approved by the Food and Drug Administration. Senate Bill 379 directs the state Board of Pharmacy to reschedule psilocybin consistent with the federal scheduling as soon as the FDA approves a...
Virginia lawmakers have approved changes to the state’s long-standing food-to-alcohol sales requirement for restaurants, easing restrictions that many operators have said no longer reflect how the industry works. The legislation, HB975, passed during the 2026 General Assembly session and modifies the food-to-beverage ratio for businesses with...
State lawmakers will soon return to the Capitol after ending the General Assembly session without a budget, in part due to some debate whether to continue current tax breaks for data centers. The Democratic-led Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee put forth a budget that would end the tax exemption for data centers by 2027, and free up...
