Bill Atkinson | The Progress-Index | March 6, 2023
The Virginia Cannabis Association (VCA) is urging Governor Glenn Youngkin to fix recently passed legislation that could potentially ban the sale of hemp products containing levels of THC, including CBD, warning that it could devastate the state's hemp industry and lead to job losses and billions of dollars in economic impact.
"In a letter to the governor that was released Monday, the VCA said the two bills passed during the just concluded 2023 General Assembly session — one of which was sponsored by Sen. Emmett Hanger, R-Augusta County — were amended heavily “to add several unnecessary restrictions on the industry" that will do more harm than good to Virginia’s hemp business overall.
'The result will be the elimination of thousands of jobs and the loss of billions of dollars in economic impact while strengthening the black market for out-of-state unregulated cannabinoids,' the letter said."