New THC Laws to Take Effect in Virginia July 1

Starting July 1, a slate of new laws are set to take effect, including new legislation that restricts the sale of some hemp-derived products. 

Virginia lawmakers recently approved new regulations on THC-like that will take effect on July 1. 

During the General Assembly’s recent veto session, members of the state House and Senate convened in Richmond and agreed to Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s amendments to a bill that would limit how much THC can be in hemp-derived products, as well as implement tougher regulations on retailers who sell them.

Under current law, up to an ounce of marijuana can be possessed in the commonwealth, as well as four plants per household, but recreational cannabis can’t be bought or sold. Marijuana also can’t be used in public spaces, but it can be shared with people over the age of 21. These convoluted and contradictory measures have resulted in a confusing system that some advocates want to reform.

As it stands, the only legal way to buy cannabis-related products in Virginia is to get written certification from a medical doctor to join the state’s medical marijuana program. There is no legal marketplace to buy recreational marijuana.

The new laws target products like Delta-8 and Delta-9 and ban them from sale. They are synthetic derivatives of THC, meaning that they’re extremely similar to the substance responsible for the high-inducing effects of marijuana, and have been sold as cannabis alternatives in the commonwealth.

Delta-8 and Delta-9 products have become increasingly popular and have been sold in the form of vaping devices, edibles, and other products with packaging that mimics well-known brands in places like gas stations and vape stores. 

Speaking with The Virginia Mercury, Jason Amatucci with the Virginia Hemp Coalition said that the new legislation would be bad for Virginia’s hemp industry, because Virginia “will lose jobs, innovation, and business development because of [the] bill.”