A Green Leaf Medical employee tends marijuana plants at the company’s Richmond cultivation and processing facility. (BizSense file photos)
At the end of what was already a milestone year for marijuana in Virginia, a recent decision by state lawmakers could be seen as an early Christmas present for the state’s medical marijuana operators.
The General Assembly’s Cannabis Oversight Commission, which oversees the implementation of marijuana legislation, voted in mid-December to recommend the launch of the recreational market be moved forward a year to January 2023.
Initially, only the state’s already-licensed medical marijuana operators would be able to sell recreational marijuana — with other businesses able to get in on the action a year later.
Currently, the start date for sales of recreational marijuana in Virginia is slated to be January 2024 for everybody.
The commission’s recommendation will next be sent to the wider General Assembly, which will have to reenact previously passed legislation to allow the retail market to launch.
The year 2021 saw the launch of the Virginia Cannabis Control Authority, the state’s regulatory agency for the eventual recreational marijuana retail market.
It was in July when the Virginia Cannabis Control Authority came into being. The authority’s board of directors has met several times to work at standing up a new state agency, Northam administration policy advisor Megan Field told the oversight commission in mid-December.
It wasn’t long after the authority’s establishment that conversations among lawmakers turned to whether the rollout of the recreational retail market should come sooner than January 2024.
In the November elections, the GOP took the governorship and the majority in the House of Delegates, which could spell further changes to legislation initially passed by Democratic majorities in the House and Senate and signed by a Democratic governor. Only time will tell.
As lawmakers discussed legislation during 2021, local entrepreneurs thought up new ways to make some green for themselves in the nascent industry.
The year saw the launch of Bong Butler, a bong cleaning service, as well as marijuana plant-sitting service The Key RVA among other businesses looking to carve their own niches in the industry still taking shape.
Green Leaf Medical offers a free marijuana delivery service for its customers.
Richmond’s resident medical marijuana operator Green Leaf Medical also stayed busy this year.
Green Leaf, which operates a cultivation and processing facility in Manchester, opened its first satellite retail dispensary in a former fast-food joint in Short Pump in November. The company is preparing to open another dispensary in Carytown.
Columbia Care, a New York-based medical marijuana company, acquired Green Leaf in a $240 million deal that closed in June. Columbia Care holds the medical marijuana operator license in eastern Virginia.
Green Leaf also rolled out smokable marijuana buds and joints in September. And October marked the one-year anniversary of the start of medical marijuana sales in Virginia.
A Green Leaf Medical employee tends marijuana plants at the company’s Richmond cultivation and processing facility. (BizSense file photos)
At the end of what was already a milestone year for marijuana in Virginia, a recent decision by state lawmakers could be seen as an early Christmas present for the state’s medical marijuana operators.
The General Assembly’s Cannabis Oversight Commission, which oversees the implementation of marijuana legislation, voted in mid-December to recommend the launch of the recreational market be moved forward a year to January 2023.
Initially, only the state’s already-licensed medical marijuana operators would be able to sell recreational marijuana — with other businesses able to get in on the action a year later.
Currently, the start date for sales of recreational marijuana in Virginia is slated to be January 2024 for everybody.
The commission’s recommendation will next be sent to the wider General Assembly, which will have to reenact previously passed legislation to allow the retail market to launch.
The year 2021 saw the launch of the Virginia Cannabis Control Authority, the state’s regulatory agency for the eventual recreational marijuana retail market.
It was in July when the Virginia Cannabis Control Authority came into being. The authority’s board of directors has met several times to work at standing up a new state agency, Northam administration policy advisor Megan Field told the oversight commission in mid-December.
It wasn’t long after the authority’s establishment that conversations among lawmakers turned to whether the rollout of the recreational retail market should come sooner than January 2024.
In the November elections, the GOP took the governorship and the majority in the House of Delegates, which could spell further changes to legislation initially passed by Democratic majorities in the House and Senate and signed by a Democratic governor. Only time will tell.
As lawmakers discussed legislation during 2021, local entrepreneurs thought up new ways to make some green for themselves in the nascent industry.
The year saw the launch of Bong Butler, a bong cleaning service, as well as marijuana plant-sitting service The Key RVA among other businesses looking to carve their own niches in the industry still taking shape.
Green Leaf Medical offers a free marijuana delivery service for its customers.
Richmond’s resident medical marijuana operator Green Leaf Medical also stayed busy this year.
Green Leaf, which operates a cultivation and processing facility in Manchester, opened its first satellite retail dispensary in a former fast-food joint in Short Pump in November. The company is preparing to open another dispensary in Carytown.
Columbia Care, a New York-based medical marijuana company, acquired Green Leaf in a $240 million deal that closed in June. Columbia Care holds the medical marijuana operator license in eastern Virginia.
Green Leaf also rolled out smokable marijuana buds and joints in September. And October marked the one-year anniversary of the start of medical marijuana sales in Virginia.
I believe that is Virginia is going to do better than other states that have localized they need to have a requirement for large sellers such as GLeaf to purchase some of their product from smaller producers. All too often you see only a hand full of large producers in an area and this chokes out the up and coming business people in the area that could eventually make a larger business but cannot gain financing. This is an opportunity for Virginia to set a business model that allows the most people to be in the field and making money… Read more »
Honestly if they want it to work they should have a market for the small mom & pops 5000sq & under should be allowed a micro license & to sell their products at small events/farmers markets.
But that would make too much sense. The other alternative is to wait and see what the city of RVA does, and then do the opposite of that, as they will blow the whole thing up like everything else.