Final week, Virginia lawmakers handed three payments that may have a monumental influence on the hashish trade inside the state: SB 542, HB 642 and HB 75. These payments purpose to advance proposals to legalize hashish gross sales, present a pathway to resentencing for prior marijuana convictions and permit medical hashish entry in hospitals for significantly unwell sufferers.
Virginia’s Home of Delegates and Senate handed differing variations of hashish gross sales laws, in accordance with Marijuana Second, and each will now be despatched to the opposite physique for consideration. The Home permitted its measure from Del. Paul Krizek (D) in a 65-32 vote, and the Senate moved its proposal from Sen. Lashrecse Aird (D) in a vote of 21-19.
Listed here are the important thing particulars of the Virginia hashish gross sales legalization laws, SB 542 and HB 642:
- Adults would have the ability to buy as much as 2.5 ounces of hashish in a single transaction, or as much as an equal quantity of different hashish merchandise as decided by regulators.
- The Home invoice units the state date for authorized gross sales as November 1, 2026, whereas the Senate measure would permit them to start on January 1, 2027.
- The Senate invoice would set an excise tax on hashish merchandise of 12.875%, along with a 1.125% state gross sales tax and a compulsory 3% native tax. The Home measure would apply an excise tax of 6% in addition to a 5.3% retail gross sales and use tax, whereas permitting municipalities to set an area tax of as much as 3.5%.
- Underneath the Home invoice, the Virginia Hashish Management Authority would oversee licensing and regulation of the brand new trade, whereas the Senate laws duties that to a brand new mixed Alcoholic Beverage and Hashish Management Authority.
- The Home invoice requires income to be distributed to a brand new Hashish Fairness Reinvestment Fund (60%), early childhood training (10%), the Division of Behavioral & Developmental Well being Providers (25%) and public well being initiatives (5%). The Senate proposal, in the meantime, would put 30% towards the fairness reinvestment fund, 40% for early childhood training, 25% to the behavioral and developmental well being companies division and 5% to public well being initiatives.
- Native governments couldn’t decide out of permitting marijuana companies to function of their space.
- Supply companies can be allowed.
- Serving sizes can be capped at 10 milligrams THC, with not more than 100 mg THC per bundle.
- Current medical hashish operators might enter the adult-use market in the event that they pay a licensing conversion price that’s set at $15 million within the Senate invoice and $10 million within the Home measure.
- Hashish companies must set up labor peace agreements with employees.
- A legislative fee can be directed to check including on-site consumption licenses and microbusiness hashish occasion permits that may permit licensees to conduct gross sales at venues like farmers markets or pop-up areas. It could additionally examine the potential of the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Management Authority changing into concerned in marijuana rules and enforcement.
The third invoice, HB 75, goals to enact what’s often called “Ryan’s regulation,” a coverage change offering that sufferers with terminal sicknesses who’re registered hashish sufferers can entry medical marijuana at well being services similar to hospitals. The chamber permitted that laws from Del. Karen Keys-Gamarra (D), in a 95-1 vote, in accordance with Marijuana Second.
It could require healthcare services to ascertain insurance policies “to deal with circumstances below which an eligible affected person can be permitted to make use of medical hashish.”
Underneath the Home laws, healthcare services might droop medical hashish allowances if a federal company such because the Division of Justice or Facilities for Medicare and Medicaid Providers takes enforcement motion on the problem or points a rule or notification expressly prohibiting use of medical hashish in well being services.
