Archive · 2022-09-26

Hemp and the state of Virginia have a long history. From the beginning, nearly every arriving ship had marijuana seeds for Virginia on board. Jamestown records reflect the popularity of this crop, mainly due to its versatility around a working farm. In 1619, the order to grow hemp was announced there; it became as good as currency and taxes were paid on the plant until the 1800s. It was, in fact, illegal in some places to not grow it. George Washington, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson all prolifically cultivated hemp. So what is the latest 21st-century news about Virginia? Keep ready and register to attend the best cannabis conference Richmond VA!

Growing Marijuana in Virginia

As of July 1, 2021, adults aged 21 years and older can have one ounce or less of cannabis on them. Use is restricted to private residences, and adults may grow up to four plants per household (not per person). Purchasing cannabis, however, remains illegal with its future best described as an enigma. On Sept. 1, 2022, Virginia’s Cannabis Oversight Commission held its first meeting since the start of the year. At the start of the meeting, David May, an attorney with the General Assembly’s Legislative Services Division, provided an overview of “legislative action” related to cannabis in 2022, a year during which the state was set to adopt a regulatory framework for adult use sales. The “situation now,” he said, is that “while we have legalized possession of marijuana, you just can’t lawfully purchase it in the Commonwealth.” As written in the legalization ruling, which was passed in April 2021, retail sales cannot start until 2024. While politicians are working to establish the regulatory framework for adult use sales, party changes have caused proposed bills to be rejected and delayed. On June 30, 2022, the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and the Office of the Attorney General of Virginia announced they “are initiating efforts to address the retail sale of certain products that contain tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in response to provisions included in the budget.” If launched as planned, the recreational market is projected to reach upward of $500 million in sales in 2024, and could potentially surpass sales of $1 billion in 2026. Regarding medical sales, the Virginia Legislature made significant changes to the state’s program this year. One change includes streamlining patient applications that allows consumers to buy products the same day a doctor’s recommendation is received. Previously, patients had to wait up to six months to receive the required Board of Pharmacy paperwork after obtaining a medical cannabis recommendation. “These legislative improvements will bring great relief to the thousands of Virginians who have been waiting to access the medical cannabis program,” said JM Pedini, NORML’s Development Director and the Executive Director of Virginia NORML. Currently, the state has more than 50,000 program registrants. At the time of passage, an estimated 8,000 applicants were still awaiting approval. Launched in 2020, the medical market in Virginia is projected to reach up to $95 million by 2026. Although some modern day politicians do not seem to be on the same page as the founding fathers when it comes to cannabis acceptance and culture, the market surrounding home growing marijuana in Virginia as well as private consumption is not stunted. One innovative example can be found in the city of Richmond, in the form of a same-day cleaning service: Bong Butler. This glass concierge utilizes a state of the art, non-toxic, eco-friendly cleaning method for bongs, pipes, and other consumption accessories to keep consumers safe and healthy. The state is also home to a new partnership between The Virginia Cannabis Association and Educapital Foundation, which is now offering one-time $1,000 scholarships to college students pursuing a career in cannabis. Courses are offered online through the Mitchell School of Business and Greenleaf University, and additional plans are set to work with Virginia Tech and other Virginia schools in the future. Upon graduation, 50 students will then be selected to receive a gift of up to $10,000 each for a startup business.

Weed Events Richmond VA

Want to know what else is exciting and new in the industry for the Old Dominion? The perfect place to find out about growing marijuana in Virginia, starting a cannabis business and more is the CannaCon cannabis conference Richmond VA on Oct. 14-15. No medical card is needed to attend the best in weed events Richmond VA! Located at the Greater Richmond Convention Center 403 N 3rd St, this cannabis convention Virginia will host Futurola, Dark Horse, and Treez, plus many other exhibiting companies! Register to attend CannaCon South Virginia. CannaCon is the nation’s leading business-to-business cannabis conference in Richmond VA. Their goal is to grow the cannabis industry by educating cannabis business owners on all things related to cannabis and CBD. The cannabis convention Virginia will feature a large exhibition hall with exhibitors from around the country as well as seminars delivered by industry experts. Add their conference to your list as one of the top notch weed events Richmond VA offers!