This governor wants a crackdown on cannabis

Virginia’s Republican governor is asking the state legislature to provide him with more tools to crack down on largely unregulated cannabis products and retailers, particularly hemp-derived goods like Delta 8 and Delta 10 edibles.

Governor Glenn Youngkin included several such motions in his 2023 budget proposal, including a call for $2.1 million and 15 new jobs in the state Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) to “eliminate intoxicating cannabis products from unregulated channels.” a Youngkin spokesman said of the Virginia Mercury.

Youngkin also requested $513,000 in new funding for the attorney general’s office to allow the agency to hire five more “cannabis consumer protection investigators.”

Attorney General Jason Miyares has already pledged to prosecute retailers who may be selling illegal cannabis goods, such as B. Fake edibles that are colorfully packaged and easily mistaken for mainstream candy.

Photo by IRA_EVVA/Getty Images

Youngkin’s move comes amid the continued lack of a fully regulated and functioning adult cannabis market, which isn’t expected to launch until next year. State legislatures have yet to agree on a regulatory regime for the industry, and at least one bill was introduced this year.

RELATED: Untapped southern markets face an uphill battle

However, the crackdown will also add to market uncertainty as many companies that could be affected believe they are operating within the law, WRIC reported.

“These products need some form of regulation so that consumers get a safe and effective product. At the same time, the way the state is handling this has been very confusing,” said a Richmond-based hemp goods retailer that sold Delta 8 and Delta 10 edibles before state inspectors last year told it to stop .

RELATED: The cannabis industry faces a sobering 2023

A spokesman for VDACS told WRIC that since July, its agency has conducted more than 5,300 site inspections to enforce new rules for hemp goods, and that fewer than 7% of vendors sold illegal marijuana or hemp goods. Currently, 12 companies are involved in administrative hearings to determine whether or not the goods they sell are legal, WRIC reported.