On July 1, 2023, a slate of sweeping changes to the hemp industry took effect in Virginia amid a crackdown to better regulate hemp-derived products and consumer goods in the state.
Hemp, although similar in look to marijuana, tests below 0.3% Delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol. Because of its lower THC content, hemp-derived products like CBD are often less potent and do not contain as high of a percentage of the psychoactive chemical that gets users "high" from marijuana.
SB 903, carried by State Sen. Emmett Hanger, created a limit of two milligrams of THC per package. Alternatively, should a product exceed two milligrams of THC per product, it must adhere to a 25:1 CBD ratio.
Tasked to oversee the regulation of those products is the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, who also regulate food safety, inspections, farming oversight, and more.
Meanwhile, medical marijuana is overseen by the Virginia Cannabis Control Authority (VCCA), which is the regulatory body tasked to regulate recreational marijuana in the event recreational marijuana ever becomes legal in Virginia.
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