Fairfax County has less than a year to decide where marijuana retailers can operate and when they can be open before Virginia's retail market launches July 1, 2027. Local officials are just starting to talk about it.

At the Board of Supervisors' Land Use Policy Committee meeting on Tuesday, Board Chair Jeff McKay, Zoning Administrator Leslie Johnson and Hunter Mill District Supervisor Walter Alcorn discussed how the county will need to update its zoning ordinance to account for the new state law.

The conversation is in its earliest stages. Cannabis retail is not yet formally listed in the county's written zoning ordinance work plan for FY 2027/2028; the topic came up verbally during a broader review of that plan, presented by Johnson and Assistant Zoning Administrator William Mayland.

"It seemed like it was off this year and now it's on," McKay said of the state legislation, which was finalized as part of the biennial budget Gov. Abigail Spanberger signed June 29.

Johnson told the committee her staff would work in the coming months to draft ordinance language, with a target of bringing updates to supervisors before the July 1, 2027, deadline.

What the county can control

The state law caps retail licenses at 350 statewide and requires stores to be at least 1,000 feet from schools, hospitals, playgrounds and drug treatment facilities. Fairfax County retains some local power: it can set operating hours and could levy a local tax of 1% to 3.5% on cannabis sales, on top of the state's 6% excise tax.

Alcorn urges caution

Alcorn, whose Hunter Mill District includes Reston, said the county needs to "understand what our options are" under the new state law and that leaders and residents should spend time considering the implications before the Board formally amends the zoning ordinance.

What the state law allows

Under the compromise reached by Spanberger, Sen. Lashrecse Aird (D-13), and Del. Paul Krizek (D-16), adults 21 and older will be able to purchase up to 2 ounces of marijuana starting July 1, 2027. The Virginia Cannabis Control Authority will begin accepting license applications Monday, Feb. 1, 2027. Up to 100 microbusiness licenses may be issued by May 1, 2027.

Home delivery will be permitted, and retailers can sell seeds and plants. Legislative budget documents project the program will generate roughly $51 million in its first year. Revenue will fund K-12 education, early childhood programs, and behavioral health services.

How to weigh in

The county's next procedural step is a Board Matter with a motion to formally approve adding cannabis retail to the zoning work plan, though no date has been set. Residents can track the zoning ordinance work program at fairfaxcounty.gov/planningzoning/zoning-ordinance/work-program or call the Zoning Administration Division at 703-324-1314.