On Friday, the Virginia General Assembly passed a bill that would strengthen the permitting system and impose stricter labeling standards on hemp-derived goods containing psychoactive THC.
Under the proposed legislation, it would still be against the law to sell marijuana to the general public. The bill’s backers say it’s an important first step towards addressing safety and consumer protection issues with uncontrolled THC products like the increasingly popular delta-8 edibles.
House of Delegates Majority Leader Terry Kilgore, R-Scott, said, “I think this will go a long way in making sure that our communities are secure and that persons are buying what they profess to buy.” The bill was approved by the House of Delegates with an 85-9 vote.
Support for the idea was more divided in the state Senate, where some Democrats voiced concerns that it would lead to a more complex cannabis regulatory framework.
Senator Scott Surovell (D-Fairfax) noted the bill appeared to split regulatory authority between the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) and the new Virginia Cannabis Control Authority. He drew an analogy to having one agency regulate beer and another agency regulate liquor.
Once the bill passed the Senate 23-17, Surovell observed, “This is a beginning step towards a complete catastrophe.” “And we’re doing this because someone in upper management doesn’t want to discuss it,” the speaker continued.
Although he supported the hemp measure, Governor Glenn Youngkin has stayed out of the ongoing discussion about whether or not to fully legalize marijuana in the state. This is despite the fact that Democrats made Virginia the first state in the South to allow possession of small amounts of pot.
Virginians can legally cultivate up to four plants in their homes, under new state law. Yet, there is currently nowhere in the state where you can legally buy marijuana other than through the medical cannabis program.
Because of the relaxed state and federal regulations on industrial hemp, enterprising shopkeepers have begun selling synthetic marijuana alternatives manufactured from hemp. Youngkin and Attorney General Jason Miyares have both made measures to reduce access to potentially harmful or mislabeled products after hearing complaints of youngsters becoming ill from them.
Sen. Emmett Hanger (R-Augusta) acknowledged that not everyone in the hemp industry would be pleased with the plan since it would force them to stop selling the goods that lawmakers are attempting to limit.
