Virginia
Business briefing
Current business and company-related news on the CBD industry
Regulatory briefing
Current legal and regulatory news covering the CBD industry
Regulatory reports
Comprehensive legal reports outlining how the sector is regulated, interpretation of the laws and relevant bodies
Regulatory trackers
Regularly updated global regulations currently in place, compiled into easy-to-read maps and tables
NEW FORMAT
From February of 2022, subscribers will be able to view and filter individual regulatory alerts per region. If you want to get our alerts compilations, visit our alerts Round-up section.
Alerts
Our legal experts track the evolving regulation around the CBD and cannabis sector on a daily basis. These alerts are then compiled into our Round-up section.
7th July 2022
US - Virginia: The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) has issued a statement saying that chemically synthesised cannabinoids, such as delta-8 THC, are illegal in food products. It says: “Any chemically-synthesized cannabinoid is considered a food adulterant and any person who manufactures, sells, or offers for sale a chemically-synthesized cannabinoid as a food or beverage is in violation of the Virginia Food and Drink Law.”
23rd June 2022
US - Virginia: The state budget for 2022-2024 has been signed into law by governor Glenn Youngkin. It includes provisions calling on the Board of Agriculture and Consumer Services to issue regulations on the labelling of hemp products that contain THC. The labelling requirements should include: that the product contains THC and should not be sold to anyone under 21; all ingredients; what constitutes a single serving; and the percentage and mg of THC per serving.
7th June 2022
- US - Virginia: The state legislature has approved a budget, and the proposal has been sent to the governor for final approval. The proposal passed by the legislature would require the Cannabis Control Board to impose labelling requirements for any products that contain THC and prohibit sales of THC-containing products to anyone under the age of 21. Hemp products would be prohibited from depicting or being "in the shape of a human, animal, vehicle, or fruit" and would crack down on THC-containing counterfeit products. Additionally, possession of more than 4 oz but less than 1 lb of cannabis would be re-criminalised to be a Class 3 misdemeanour.
2nd June 2022
- US - Virginia: The General Assembly passed a budget proposal that includes a provision to re-criminalise possession of more than 4 oz of cannabis, press reports. The proposal would make possession of more than 4 oz a Class 3 misdemeanour, whereas the recreational cannabis legalisation bill passed last year makes possession of between 1 oz and 1 lb subject to only a $25 civil fine. The governor now has seven days to propose any amendments to the budget proposal.
1st June 2022
- US - Virginia: The state budget proposed by legislative leaders includes a proposal to make it a criminal offence to possess more than 4 oz of cannabis, despite the state’s legalisation of recreational cannabis in 2021, press reports. The proposal would make possession of more than 4 oz a Class 3 misdemeanour, whereas the legalisation bill passed last year makes possession of between 1 oz and 1 lb subject to only a $25 civil fine. The budget proposal is scheduled to be discussed by the General Assembly today, 1st June.
29th April 2022
- US - Virginia: Senate Bill (SB) 591 has been killed in the Senate after the governor sent amendments to the bill back to the legislature, press reports. SB 591 would have effectively prohibited the sale of delta-8 THC products in the state, and the version passed by the legislature would have set total THC caps on hemp products that likely would have banned many full-spectrum products.
19th April 2022
US - Virginia: Governor Glenn Youngkin has proposed amendments to Senate Bill 591, which was recently approved by both the House and the Senate. The bill seeks to include “any naturally occurring or synthetic tetrahydrocannabinol, including its salts, isomers, or salts of isomers” in its 0.3% THC threshold for hemp products and prohibit the production and sale of cannabis products “that depict or are in the shape of a human, animal, or vehicle”. The proposed amendments would also prohibit the retail sale of synthetic delta-8 THC, as well as the sale of any THC-containing hemp extract to under-21s. Additionally, the bill would add THCP and THC-O to the state’s list of controlled substances. Legislators must now choose whether to accept or override the governor’s amendments.
12th April 2022
US - Virginia: Senate Bill 671 has been signed into law by governor Glenn Youngkin. The new law removes requirements that only oil from hemp be used in the formulation of cannabis oil and that medical cannabis patients must register with the Board of Pharmacy.
14th March 2022
- US - Virginia: Senate Bill (SB) 591 was passed by the House, and the amendments made by the House were approved by the Senate. Therefore, the bill will now go to the governor for final approval. SB 591 would include “any naturally occurring or synthetic tetrahydrocannabinol, including its salts, isomers, or salts of isomers” in its 0.3% THC threshold for hemp products and would prohibit the production and sale of cannabis products “that depict or are in the shape of a human, animal, or vehicle”. The change in the THC restriction would essentially make it illegal to sell hemp-derived products with more than 0.3% delta-8 or delta-10 THC outside of state dispensaries but also could limit CBD if interpreted literally.
1st March 2022
- US - Virginia: A House subcommittee voted to continue to 2023 the consideration of Senate Bill (SB) 391, which would have accelerated the timeline for recreational cannabis sales to begin in the state. Legal sales are not slated to begin until 2024, but the legislature could consider SB 391 again in 2023.
28th February 2022
- Virginia: Senate Bill 671 has been passed by the House with amendments from the earlier version passed by the Senate, so the bill will need to be reconciled before going to the governor’s desk for final approval. The bill would remove requirements that only oil from hemp be used in the formulation of cannabis oil and that medical cannabis patients must register with the Board of Pharmacy.
