INDUSTRY UPDATES

March 09, 2022

The Virginia Hemp Industry Needs Your Help!

Virginia Hemp Supporters: Please see the urgent message from our advocacy partners at the Virginia Hemp Coalition and use our state action center to contact your Virginia lawmakers urging them to oppose SB 591 today!

“In Senator Hangers own words he says, “SB591 has been touted as the biggest “anti-marijuana” bill to help address serious issues that have surfaced since Virginia has moved toward the legal sale of marijuana. (To be clear, I continue to oppose the legalization of marijuana for recreational use.”)

There is only one problem – this bill will greatly affect the legal and legitimate non-intoxicating hemp industry and will as it’s written now basically criminalize 70-80 percent of the legal legitimate hemp cannabinoid products currently sitting on the store shelves.

This bill is extremely misguided and will put many Virginia hemp businesses and their products on the knife’s edge. There is no doubt we must get rid of some of these mislabeled products that folks are selling in gas stations and head shops but those must be dealt with directly without criminalizing good products in the supermarkets, drug stores and small marketplaces.

SB591 narrows the exceptions for hemp in the definition of “marijuana,” sets restrictive THC concentration limits per serving, and would make Virginia the first state in the country to impose milligrams limits by statute, instead of through deliberative, science-focused rulemaking. We can’t let this happen!

Please use our State Action Center to encourage Virginia lawmakers to oppose SB 591. Our portal makes it super easy. Once you input your zip code, the appropriate email or state petition will populate—with your legislators already identified and an editable message prepared. With a simple click of the button, they will hear your voice loud and clear.

Even if you do not hail from Virginia, please share this page with your friends, colleagues, customers, and social media contacts in the state. Help us build our Hemp Supporter armies to assist us in these battles, which have a national impact.