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Community-Focused CBD and Agriculture Shop to Open in Scott’s Addition

Noah Daboul | June 23, 2020

Topics: agricultural supply, Arthur Ashe Boulevard, business, CBD, cbd store, chris haynie, community, happy trees, happy trees agricultural supply, josiah ickes, new business, scotts addition

Happy Trees Agricultural Supply can’t wait to bring high-quality CBD and knowledge of sustainable farming to Richmonders.

A new community-based CBD supply store is set to open in Richmond in the coming weeks. Happy Trees Agricultural Supply in Scott’s Addition is the brainchild of Josiah Ickes and Chris Haynie, who are both firm believers in the medicinal benefits of CBD — and wanted to create a space for the Richmond community to be able to learn about it.

“We wanted to have a community-based approach to CBD production, CBD consultation, and all things CBD,” said Ickes. “It is the community’s medicine.” 

Photo courtesy Happy Trees Agricultural Supply

The new storefront is located at 1020 N. Arthur Ashe Blvd. Ickes said that in the Richmond area, there is not currently a place to get all the expertise and advice for growing your own food and medicine that Happy Trees will be able to dispense. 

“We wanted to create a one-stop shop to get all of the supplies, advice, or consultation you need,” he said. “We’ll also be teaching monthly classes on one skill or another. We want to bring in the brightest minds and best technology to find the best ways to grow food and medicine, and help to tackle climate change.” 

Ickes said that he became interested in the CBD industry because of the medical benefits of CBD, and the sustainability that growing food and medicine teaches in general. While it’s always going to be what catches people’s attention first, Happy Trees does not solely focus on CBD; they’re focused on teaching growing and sustainability as well.

“If this COVID-19 thing has shown us anything, it’s that we need a lot of options for food. When people are clearing out the shelves and people are scared, certain things aren’t available,” Ickes said. “So if they can learn to grow things themselves and be self-sustainable, then they have that technique.” 

Photo courtesy Happy Trees Agricultural Supply

Since part of their goal is to be community-focused, Ickes and Haynie have kept their whole CBD supply chain as Virginia-based as possible.

“I ended up partnering with a friend of mine in Powhatan,” said Haynie. “He had a hemp license and was growing basil at his property, but the basil didn’t work out. He asked me to help him start a small hemp operation in his greenhouse, and we ended up planting far too many for this season.” 

According to Ickes, this is what sets their CBD apart from other places to obtain CBD products, like smoke shops and convenience stores. 

“You don’t know where that stuff comes from,” said Ickes. “We know where ours does, even back to the farm.”

“I’m a registered agent under my farm partner’s hemp license,” said Haynie. “We produce at his location, which has been vetted by VDACS (Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services). They make you send in GPS coordinates for your fields, and file planting reports, which tells them what you’re growing and when you’ll harvest it. We felt that the best way to deliver the product to the community would be a retail store.” 

When it comes to regulations on CBD and hemp-based products, Haynie’s looking positively toward the future. Recent legislation has come in Virginia this year that regulates the growing market for CBD in the Commonwealth. 

Photo courtesy Happy Trees Agricultural Supply

“Virginia did a good thing when they set up the hemp regulations,” Haynie said. “Some other places [made] farmers jump through a ridiculous amount of hoops, to the point where it was discouraging. The state of Virginia fell back on our heritage as agricultural producers, and said, ‘You know what, guys? These are the rules. Do what you’re supposed to do, and we’re not going to make it hard for you.’”

Happy Trees was set to open on June 1, but they have decided to wait a little longer amidst recent events and large protests in the city. Keep up with them on Facebook and Instagram for updates to learn more about agriculture and sustainability in Richmond. 

Top Photo courtesy Happy Trees Agricultural Supply

Northam Signs Bill To Regulate CBD Products As Food

VCU CNS | April 20, 2020

Topics: cannabis, CBD, CBD oil, David Marsden, General Assembly 2020, hemp, hemp legalization in Virginia, Hemp Queenz, Ralph Northam, Virginia Agribusiness Council, Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services

“Right now, it’s like the Wild West.” A bill signed by the governor earlier this month will bring much-needed regulation to Virginia’s market for CBD products.

Gov. Ralph Northam recently signed a bill that would define hemp extract, such as CBD, as food, and usher in state regulations on these products. 

Senate Bill 918, patroned by Sen. David Marsden, D-Fairfax, will help guide the budding industrial hemp industry in Virginia by regulating facility conditions and requirements for the production of hemp-derived products intended for human consumption. 

This bill also allows the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to regulate and enforce certain standards for hemp extract, including labeling requirements, identifying contaminants, and batch testing.

Charlotte Wright, a hemp farmer based in Brunswick County and owner of the CBD business Hemp Queenz, said she feels encouraged by Marsden’s bill. 

“It gives validity to the CBD industry,” Wright said. “Right now, there is no testing required, no labeling, you have no idea what is in it. It’s like the Wild West.” 

Rebecca Caffrey showing examples of the various hemp and CBD products she tests in her cannabis testing lab. Delta9 Scientific. Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2019. (CNS photo/ Morgan Edwards)

However, Wright is worried about the federal law, and said keeping to that level of THC makes it difficult to produce competitive CBD products. 

Hemp plants can not exceed THC levels of 0.3 percent or they must be destroyed in order to comply with federal standards. THC is the intoxicating component in marijuana. CBD, also found in marijuana and hemp plants, does not cause a high and is used for a wide variety of treatments, from anxiety to pain relief, according to a report from the World Health Organization.

The hemp plant produces significantly low THC levels and high CBD levels, according to the WHO report. Hemp, a relative of the marijuana plant, is used for a variety of things, from making fibers to beauty products. CBD also has various applications; it can be used for edibles, oils, and oral supplements. 

“If we go over the limit, we have wasted all of our time and money,” Wright said. “It is ridiculous to argue over seven-tenths of a percent when any hemp farmer can easily grow a crop that is under 1 percent total THC. You can’t easily grow a crop that is under 0.3 percent.”

Wright said the longer the hemp plant grows, the more CBD and THC it produces. A higher CBD percentage will make the product more valuable.

“To get those relevant CBD percentages up over 13 or 14 percent, you have to leave it in longer. The longer you leave the plant in the ground, that THC number creeps up,” Wright said. “After all is said and done, that seven-tenths of a percent isn’t going to impair anyone anyway.” 

A display stand of CBD tinctures at Kultivate Wellness. Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2019. (CNS Photo/ Morgan Edwards)

Since the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill, hemp has been removed from the definition of marijuana and taken out of the Controlled Substances Act. Hemp can currently be grown, processed, and distributed by licensed individuals in most states. 

However, under the federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, it is illegal to add CBD or hemp products to food, or market them as a dietary supplement. 

Currently, the only pharmaceutical drug containing CBD that has been approved by the FDA is Epidiolex, which treats two rare, severe forms of epilepsy in young children. There are no over-the-counter CBD products that are approved by the FDA. 

“If the FDA does not start approving CBD products, people are going to take them without regulation,” said Kyle Shreve, executive director of the Virginia Agribusiness Council. “That’s what the bill says; we are going to treat them like they are approved by the FDA so we can start regulating them.”

Shreve said it’s important to add another viable cash crop for agribusiness in the state. 

“Right now we are losing tobacco and dairy farms in the commonwealth, so it is another opportunity for Virginia producers to diversify and grow something that would help sustain their business,” Shreve said. 

During the 2019 growing season, approximately 1,200 registered industrial hemp growers planted around 2,200 acres of hemp in Virginia, according to Erin Williams, VDACS senior policy analyst. As of April 10, there were 1,280 active industrial hemp grower registrations, 357 processor registrations, and 219 dealer registrations. 

“I think it has a strong future,” Marsden said about the hemp industry in Virginia. “We just need to regulate it and hold other states to our standards.”

Marsden said over-the-counter CBD products like those sold at gas stations or convenience stores might not have CBD in them at all, and could contain harmful ingredients. 

“We can’t have inferior products coming in from other states,” Marsden said. “We are going to try to do a good job with this stuff, and it is up to VDACS to make sure other states don’t ruin our market with crap.”

CNS Reporter Jeff Raines interviewing employees of Kultivate Wellness. Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2019. (CNS Photo/ Morgan Edwards)

Three bills regulating industrial hemp in Virginia were recently signed by the governor. One of those bills, House Bill 962, introduced by Del. Daniel Marshall III, R-Danville, regulates smokeable hemp products for those over 21 and allows the sale of these products in vending machines. 

The governor also approved SB 1015, which protects certain people involved with the state’s medical cannabis program expected to begin this year. SB 2 and HB 972 decriminalize possession of certain amounts of marijuana, and allow for the expungement of a prior misdemeanor offense. Northam recommended changes to the decriminalization bill that would still need to be approved when lawmakers reconvene on April 22. One recommendation is to move the deadline for a legislation study back to 2021, and another proposes that a marijuana violation occurring during the operation of a commercial vehicle would be included on the driver’s Department of Motor Vehicles record.

Written by Jeffrey Knight, Capital News Service. Top Photo: A display of the products sold on the Richmond based online farmers market, Red Beard Alternatives. Sunday, Dec. 1, 2019. (CNS Photo/ Morgan Edwards)

Virginia’s Legal Landscape Shifts As Support For Cannabis Grows

VCU CNS | December 27, 2019

Topics: cannabis, CBD, CBD oil, Delta-9 Scientific, East Coast Cannalytics, hemp cultivation, Hens and Hemp, industrial hemp, Jacob Stretch, Marijuana, Mark Herring, Ralph Northam, Red Beard Alternatives, Steve Heretick, THC, USDA, Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Virginia NORML, Vote Hemp

With cannabis decriminalization, cultivation, and legalization at the forefront of political conversations in Virginia, farmers and legislators are grappling with a changing legal and cultural landscape.

“We do grams, eighths, quarters, half ounces, pounds, wholesale pounds — however you want it,” Jacob Stretch said, standing between crates of dried hemp in his living room that doubles as his hemp processing and drying facility. Stretch, owner of Chesapeake Blue, just finished his first season growing industrial hemp as a registered grower and processor on his family’s farm.

Industrial hemp is poised to be a fast growing sector of agriculture in Virginia. Hemp advocacy group Vote Hemp estimates 2017 retail sales of hemp products neared $820 million nationally and will continue to grow. 

Hemp is a versatile material that can be used in foods and beverages, personal care products, nutritional supplements, fabrics and textiles, paper, construction materials and other manufactured goods, according to a report from the Congressional Research Service.

In an October press release, Gov. Ralph Northam announced Virginia’s first commercial industrial hemp fiber processing facility. Appalachian Biomass Processing, in Wytheville, will create 13 new jobs and purchase more than 6,000 tons of Virginia-grown industrial hemp over the next three years, at a value of more than $1 million, the governor stated.

“I am committed to pursuing every path that will attract economic prosperity to our rural communities, and hemp production opens up a wealth of opportunity to bring new jobs and new business to Virginia,” Northam wrote.

The processor will mainly create hemp hurd, a woody fiber extracted from the plant stalk to be used for animal bedding. Hurd can also be used to make industrial items such as hemp-based concrete and hemp-derived plastics.

In 2018, when hemp could only be grown for research purposes in Virginia, there were 135 acres of hemp planted and about 85 registered growers, according to Erin Williams, senior policy analyst with the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. As of Nov. 15, VDACS had registered 1,183 industrial hemp growers, 262 processors and 117 dealers, Williams said. Nearly 2,200 acres of hemp were planted in Virginia this year. The economic impact of industrial hemp in the state has yet to be determined, Williams said. The harvest season has just finished and crops are being sold to processors. 

“So we should know soon what this past growing season’s impact will be,” Williams said. “We’re going to conduct a grower survey towards the end of the year and hopefully have some data at the beginning of next year.”

When the 2018 federal Farm Bill went into effect, industrial hemp was listed as an agricultural commodity and removed as a controlled substance under the Controlled Substances Act. It is now placed under United States Department of Agriculture regulation. The bill also allowed state agriculture departments to submit plans for the regulation of hemp cultivation to the USDA. 

Jacob Stretch showing his industrial hemp leaves in storage after being dried. Field Station Farm. Friday, Nov. 22, 2019. (CNS photo by Morgan Edwards)

VDACS expects to submit its state hemp production plan to the USDA before the end of the year, according to its website. It is likely there will not be major issues with the plan, according to Tyson Daniel, a trial lawyer and founder of Virginia Hemp Lawyers, a law firm specializing in the hemp and cannabis business.

On the VDACS website, there is a list of applications and guidelines for the industrial hemp grower registration, industrial hemp processor registration, and industrial hemp dealer registration. Each registration costs $50 annually, and one person can have all three registrations.

“It will be interesting to see if it stays at that rate,” Daniel said. “Compared to some other states, it is a very reasonable rate.”

An industrial hemp grower registration in Maryland costs $250. In North Carolina there is a $250 initial fee with an annual fee of $250 for less than 50 acres or $500 for more than 50 acres. Additionally, growers must pay $2 per acre of hemp or $2 per 1,000 square feet in a greenhouse of hemp.

Stretch, who is also a registered processor, said he was approved for his grower registration in around 40 days. Jacob Williamson, owner of Hens and Hemp, said he is registered as a grower and is on his way to becoming a registered processor. Williamson said having both permits is worthwhile because of their low cost and the extra level of protection it provides — since growing and then drying, trimming, and packing hemp could be considered processing. Williamson, like many other small farmers, mainly grows hemp to be sold as CBD products. 

Jacob Stretch smoking his CBD flower. Friday, Nov. 22, 2019. (CNS photo by Morgan Edwards)

Defining the difference between hemp, marijuana, and CBD

In its infancy, the Virginia hemp industry is not without issues — namely in defining the difference between legal industrial hemp and illegal marijuana. There is also general confusion surrounding hemp and hemp products derived from the cannabis plant, namely CBD. CBD is considered non-intoxicating and touted to have multiple medical benefits. It is sold in a variety of ingestible and topical products, and also in flower form that looks identical to marijuana. 

Daniel explained the distinction between legal cannabis derived products and marijuana.

“If you are going to draw a diagram, put cannabis at the top, hemp on one side, marijuana on the other,” Daniel said. “They are both the cannabis plant, it’s just the level of Delta-9 that is different.” Delta-9 is the THC molecule associated with intoxication or “getting high.” It is commonly referred to as THC instead of Delta-9 THC.

The non psychoactive version of THC is THC-A; it does not produce a high. The molecule is considered the precursor to THC, and once heat is applied THC-A is converted into THC, say through the use of a vaporizer. 

The combined amount of THC-A and THC present in hemp is referred to as total, whole, or max THC.

Legally, when hemp reaches a THC concentration of more than 0.3 percent on a dry weight basis, it is classified as marijuana. According to the VDACS industrial hemp registration guide, anything grown above the 0.3 percent limit will be destroyed, in accordance with Virginia code.

Growers contest how the hemp is tested to determine that 0.3 percent, and its validity as an indicator of whether or not hemp has crossed into being marijuana. Daniel said the biggest issue right now has to do with testing; whether it is strictly THC or combined THC and THC-A.

The mother cannabis plant Jacob Williamson got his industrial hemp clones from during his first growing season. Hens and Hemp. Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2019. (CNS Photo by Morgan Edwards)

Williamson said one passage of the USDA guidelines sounds like it’s talking about THC, and another passage says whole THC, which would include both.

“That’s why everyone freaked out about the USDA guidelines,” he said. “All the sudden it was total THC that was 0.3 percent.”

CEO and founder of East Coast Cannalytics Rebecca Hobden said the VDACS testing method for appropriate levels is to heat up the hemp. It then goes through a heating process which converts THC-A into THC. So if a crop has combined THC-A and THC, the testing process will increase the actual THC, potentially raising it over the acceptable levels allowed.

Williamson harvested his hemp plants at 13 percent CBD and 0.1 percent THC. “I probably pulled them a little early because I was nervous, but that’s fine — 13 percent is plenty,” he said. 

Hobden explained that as THC levels increase in a plant, CBD levels increase. She said farmers will try to get as close to the allowed 0.3 percent THC limit as they can to raise CBD levels. Hobden said hemp with CBD levels closer to 20 percent is more desirable for farmers, as it has a higher market value. 

Stretch said the 0.3 percent limit is arbitrary and could be a colossal loss for farmers.

“The number 0.3 percent was put on there by who, you know? Who decided 0.3 percent was the right number?”

“I’ve heard more experienced growers talk about how it can creep up in the flower period, and then at a certain point, it will go back down,” Stretch said. “So if you harvested at the wrong time, you run a higher risk of being hot.” 

Jacob Williamson showing the mother cannabis plant he got his industrial hemp clones from during his first growing season. Hens and Hemp. Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2019. (CNS Photo by Morgan Edwards)

The limit needs to be raised from 0.3 percent, according to Rebecca Caffrey, founder and chief scientific officer of Delta-9 Scientific, a cannabis testing lab based outside of Richmond.

“There’s no functional difference between something that’s 0.3 percent THC and something that’s 1 percent THC,” she said. “Neither one of them is going to get you high, no matter how hard you try.”

Caffrey said she has tested thousands of hemp samples for “honest” farmers. “They are spending beaucoup money on hemp seeds and hemp clones, and you know, then it comes back and it’s like 0.57 percent [THC],” she said. Caffrey believes farmers should not be penalized for that.

Williamson said he didn’t think VDACS tested many hemp farmers to see if their hemp was “hot,” meaning above the 0.3 percent limit.

“I guess they originally wrote the law because they thought people were going to pretend to grow hemp and then grow real bud … I thought there would be more of that, but I don’t see anybody doing that,” he said. 

VDACS used random testing to track THC levels. Hobden and Caffrey believe VDACS did not test many farmers. 

“I was in a meeting of probably about 40 farmers and asked how many people actually got tested, and one person raised their hand,” Hobden said. 

Jacob Williamson’ hens and the source of his compost. Hens and Hemp. Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2019. (CNS Photo by Morgan Edwards)

Hemp and CBD products in the marketplace

The General Assembly this year approved a bill that allows CBD and THC oil with up to 10 milligrams of THC to be legally sold, with a doctor’s recommendation, through an approved state pharmacy. THC above 0.3 percent is federally illegal and CBD of any level is legal. 

However, the Food and Drug Administration does not allow CBD to be marketed as a dietary supplement, or to be advertised as having medical benefits. The FDA has only approved one CBD product, for epilepsy. The agency recently issued a consumer update, noting that “there are many unanswered questions about the science, safety, and quality of products containing CBD.”

Mike Betts, owner of the online hemp and CBD store Red Beard Alternatives, believes CBD offers relief from anxiety, depression, and symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder.

Betts is a retired Marine Corps veteran who for years battled to treat physical and mental wounds sustained while serving. Betts said he turned to hemp and CBD after finding no relief in prescribed medications and self-medicating. He uses hemp products and grows his own hemp plants as a form of therapy in itself. He said nurturing them from a tiny seed has given him something to look forward to, and it is something he wants to share with fellow veterans.

Rebecca Caffrey demonstrating the “espresso” like consistency she gets industrial hemp to before testing. Delta9 Scientific. Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2019. (CNS photo by Morgan Edwards)

 He said the purpose of Red Beard Alternatives is to provide veterans access to alternative forms of therapy; the proceeds from his online market help fund alternative therapies for veterans. 

“Whether we give them a greenhouse or a gym membership… in order to fund that mission, we’ve created an online farmers market where other hemp farmers can showcase their products and sell them to consumers,” Betts said.

However, he said is not allowed to advertise his products due to legal restrictions and a wariness from various social media sites in advertising products that closely resemble marijuana. He said many consumers are unfamiliar with hemp, and often confuse it with marijuana. Betts sees the next step in expanding his business centered on product education.

Alongside growers Williamson and Stretch, Betts hopes to see more defined regulations and loosened restrictions for growing and selling hemp and CBD products. Daniel said the easiest and fastest way for this to be accomplished would be through legislation in the General Assembly. 

Rebecca Caffrey holding an industrial hemp sample in the middle of the testing process. Delta9 Scientific. Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2019. (CNS photo by Morgan Edwards)

Legal landscape rapidly shifting as cannabis support grows 

Del. Steve Heretick, D-Portsmouth, said he has encountered a groundswell of support for changing state law.

“Over 80 percent of all Virginians, regardless of political stripe, advocate or support the decriminalization of simple possession,” Heretick said. “You can’t get 80 percent of the people in Virginia to agree on anything, but they agree on that much.”

The statistic Heretick quoted refers to a September University of Mary Washington study. The poll noted that 80 percent of Virginians 25 and under support legalization, not all Virginians. However, 61 percent of all Virginians are in favor of legalization, according to the poll.

Heretick said he plans to form a “cannabis caucus” — the second state caucus of its kind in the country — “to put all of the stakeholders at the same table.” He believes the caucus will foster productive conversations on how to move the hemp industry forward and how to eventually legalize adult marijuana use in the state.

“I think in creating the cannabis caucus, we’re trying to create an organization that we can invite all the stakeholders to participate in,” Heretick said. “Not only members of the legislature, but members of the farming community, the community that would do distribution advertising and dispensing.”

A variety of industrial hemp samples in the middle of the testing process. Delta9 Scientific. Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2019. (CNS photo by Morgan Edwards)

Heretick sees decriminalization of simple possession as the first step on the journey to legalization and is confident that the General Assembly will pass Senate Bill 2 or a similar bill on the issue in 2020. SB2 specifically calls for the decriminalization of simple possession of marijuana, turning the offense into a civil penalty with a fine of no more than $50 attached. Heretick said he and his colleagues want to make sure that legalization in Virginia is thoughtfully enacted.

“I really don’t think that legislatively we’re doing anybody any favors by legalizing marijuana and then having nothing in place to do that effectively,” Heretick said. “We’re trying to avoid the obvious problems that have plagued other states that have beat us to the punch in terms of legalization.”

Daniel explained the differences between decriminalization and full legalization. He said the short answer is that decriminalization means it is no longer being prosecuted.

What separates decriminalization from legalization is that legalization provides a mechanism for marijuana to be brought to market, according to Daniel. “But we haven’t set up a mechanism for it to go to retail sale,” Daniel said. Regardless, he believes people would work around this.

The gifting system in Washington D.C. is an example of creative solutions when marijuana is legalized, but no system is established to regulate the buying and selling of it. People can purchase a shirt, sticker, or even cookies, all of which come with a free gift of marijuana. 

“This is a civics lesson,” Daniel said. “We don’t need permission in our country to do something. We act under the premise that unless it’s prohibited specifically by law, then we can do what we want to do.”

A display of the products sold on the Richmond based online farmers market, Red Beard Alternatives. Sunday, Dec. 1, 2019. (CNS Photo by Morgan Edwards)

Hemp Becoming Less of a Partisan Issue

“I don’t think that it’s so much a partisan issue,” Daniel said. “Frankly, I think both sides of the aisle see it as an enormous revenue producer and a gigantic cost saver, in terms of the amount of money that’s spent on the prosecution and enforcement of marijuana laws.”

Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring expressed his support for decriminalizing cannabis in an op-ed for the Daily Press in June, writing that criminalizing minor marijuana possession has major “human and social costs,” which disproportionately affect minorities and people of color.

“That is why Virginia should decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana, address past convictions, and start moving toward legal and regulated adult use,” Herring wrote.

In a November interview with Capital News Service, Herring said that while he acknowledges the economic benefits of legalization, he is more concerned about the criminal justice aspects of the state ban on legal marijuana. 

“Virginia is moving in the wrong direction,” Herring said. “We have 29,500 Virginians who were arrested for marijuana possession in 2017. That is a huge number, and it is not working.”

CNS Reporter Jeff Raines interviewing employees of Kultivate Wellness. Kultivate Wellness. Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2019. (CNS Photo by Morgan Edwards)

Herring stated in his op-ed that citizens arrested for marijuana possession could “still be stuck with a criminal record, lose their job, student aid, certain public benefits including housing assistance, and it can even affect custody rights.”

Jenn Michelle Pedini, executive director for the nonprofit Virginia National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, said the 2020 General Assembly session could be incredibly consequential for the future of the cannabis industry in the commonwealth and feels that “several very historic” bills could be passed.

NORML has worked since the 1970s to legalize non-medical marijuana in the U.S. and advocates for responsible, adult cannabis use without penalty.

“Last year, we became the fourth state in the nation to allow school medical professionals to administer medical cannabis to registered kids,” Pedini. “We really are doing big things in Virginia — it just largely goes unnoticed.”

Back on the farming side, Williamson and Stretch are finishing what they consider to be a successful first harvest. This winter will be used to strategize how they can improve their operations and accommodate more plants. Williamson said that smaller farmers like themselves are working cooperatively to purchase wholesale seeds and streamline operations. Williams said VDACS expects Virginia hemp to grow in acreage as growers ramp up their operations in the spring. 

Written by Jeff Raines and Morgan Edwards, Capital News Service. Christopher Brown contributed to this report. Top Photo: Jacob Stretch showing his industrial hemp flower. Field Station Farm. Friday, Nov. 22, 2019. (CNS photo by Morgan Edwards)

‘Legalize Virginia’ to Elevate the Discussion Around Marijuana Reform

Jesse Scaccia | September 10, 2018

Topics: ACLU, Board of Pharmacy, CBD, Marijuana, marijuana dispensaries, medical marijuana, Medicinal, Norfolk, O'Connor Brewing Company, Virginia marijuana laws, Virginia NORML

Update: Legalize Virginia has been rescheduled to next week, starting Sept. 18.

Last week the Board of Pharmacy Ad Hoc Committee met to determine which companies will be the first to be able to open medical cannabis dispensaries in Virginia.

Yes, they met behind closed doors. And no, the current law is not enough. But that doesn’t change the fact that what is happening right now is a huge, huge step for marijuana in Virginia.

Within the next year, you will be able to bring a form signed by your doctor to a regulated business in the Commonwealth, and there, they will give you an oil derived from a marijuana plant grown on site. It’s just the beginning for those very lucky five business license holders, who you can expect to fiercely try to attract as many patient customers through their doors as possible.

When you picture the folks waiting in line at those dispensaries, I urge you to think of the hundreds of thousands of people in Virginia with genuine illnesses and conditions, who genuinely will find solace and healing from medical marijuana.

Think of my friend Creed Leffler, who has Cerebral Palsy. He calls marijuana the “miracle plant” for the way it helps his muscles relax. “There is no such thing as recreational marijuana,” Leffler said. “It’s all medicinal.”

Creed Leffler

The list of the ailments that can be treated with marijuana is longer than your arm. Check out this chart. Chronic pain, epilepsy, PTSD, ALS, cancer, diabetes — the list goes on and on. The stories are heartbreaking.

Melanie Seifert Davis’s daughter Maddie has been fighting metastatic brain cancer since she was five. “Because of the use of multiple cannabis products, Madison lives a life free of pain, seizures or any limiting deficits, and full of the joys of childhood all children deserve,” said Davis, an ER nurse. “My degree in Biology and my years in the trenches of modern medicine have enabled me to make treatment decisions for my family that rely on evidence-based best practices and emerging research findings, including the multitude of medical benefits that can be derived from marijuana.”

Melanie Seifert Davis’ with her daughter Maddie

I expect marijuana law reform in Virginia to move relatively quickly from here. Expect the businesses granted licenses to be a part of the army of voices banging the drum for even more cannabis law reform in the Commonwealth. The organization I am a part of, Virginia NORML, will be pushing for a decriminalization bill this upcoming General Assembly.

There is hope. There is a plan. And there’s also going to be a party.

Virginia NORML is working with Norfolk’s O’Connor Brewing Company to push the conversation forward with Legalize Virginia Festival, a week-long series of workshops, panels, events, and activities all diving into a different aspect of reform.

Last Monday, the group held “Marijuana Saved My Life: Cannabis as Medicine in Virginia,” a forum on the new medical cannabis law, who it will help, and how to talk to your doctor about it, with Virginia NORML Executive Director Jenn Michelle Pedini leading the panel. Lisa Bohn, a Purple Heart veteran who uses cannabis to help her cope with PTSD, along with Davis and Leffler, will also speak on the panel. On Tuesday, Sept. 18, the festival will hold the “Equity and Expungement: Talking Marijuana and Race in Virginia” panel, which will look at the disparity in arrest rates among white Virginians and Virginians of color, the expungement of records of those with marijuana offenses, and more. Norfolk NAACP President Joe Dillard, Bill Farrar, director of public policy and communications for ACLU of Virginia, and expungement and restoration of rights attorney Wanda Cooper will serve on the panel. Thursday’s discussion will dive into what cities in Virginia can do about cannabis law reform.

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All forums run from 7 to 8 pm at O’Connor Brewing Company and followed by more informal workshops. Tonight, there will be a workshop on growing hops and hemp, on Tuesday will be a workshop on entering the cannabis industry, and on Thursday there will be a workshop on how to be a kick-ass marijuana activist.

Friday, Sept. 21 is the festival atmosphere. O’Connor is releasing a special beer they’re brewing with hemp seeds, called “YES, NORFOLK CAN(yon),” a pale ale modeled after their Norfolk Canyon brew. There will be a ton of pop-ups as part of NOMARAMA’s Munchie Market, a killer list of independent vendors, DJs, a pop-up yoga class, and a retro arcade. The festival runs from 3 pm to midnight.

The fact that O’Connor Brewing Co., a major name in Virginia craft beer, is hosting this series of events is, in-and-of-itself, a testament to the new day for marijuana in Virginia.

This issue is out of the shadows. Soon, we’ll be walking into legal dispensaries in the light of day. And what a beautiful day that will be.

You can check out the entire schedule for Legalize Virginia here.

The State Of Medicinal Marijuana In Virginia

Ash Griffith | April 20, 2018

Topics: CBD, decriminalization, medical marijuana, Medicinal, Ralph Northam, THC, Virginia NORML

Ever since Gov. Ralph Northam signed HB 1251 in February, there has been a lot of contained excitement and talk in the Commonwealth. This has come from many different legislative viewpoints and policy perspectives. HB 1251 is officially a game changer, which now allows doctors to recommend cannabidiol (CBD) and tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (THC-A) oils to patients with a diagnosed condition or disease that could benefit from them. Yes, that’s right, oil, not the plant itself, and just recommend, not exactly decriminalized.

Image by Medical Jane

Even though the feedback surrounding the legislation has been mostly positive, especially since the bill was approved with a startlingly unanimous 40-0 vote, there has still been a lot of misconceptions and confusion. Despite having a Democratic governor in the office, it’s still important to know the rules to play the game, more so when it comes to marijuana legislation.

Tetrahydrocannabinolic Acid (THC)

Executive Director of Virginia NORML, Jenn Michelle Pedini, is no stranger to the game, and is very quick to help correct the misconceptions people have been making since the house bill was introduced and passed. One of the largest misconceptions is that cannabis oil is now legal, which is inaccurate. Rather what was passed and expanded on was something known as an affirmative defense.

“It doesn’t make something legal,” said Pedini. “But provides a defense that is acceptable for certain possessions.” Under this model, law enforcement cannot pursue arrests for medicinal usage, but they can still arrest a person should they chose to. Does it necessarily preempt arrest? No, but should it? Absolutely. It doesn’t necessarily preempt that.”

While conversationally everyone throws around the phrase “legalized”, which isn’t completely inaccurate in that it relays certain information, it is still not correct in regards to what the actual legalities are. Out of the 30 states where medical cannabis laws are in effect, medical cannabis is only recommended, but never prescribed which is why the affirmative defense clause is in motion so that if a patient is caught transporting medicine across state lines from a reciprocity state they are less likely (but not guaranteed, interestingly) to be arrested for what is effectively drug trafficking.

So if that’s the case, how close are we to taxing and adult regulation in Virginia?

“Marijuana number one is schedule one, but even if it were on a different schedule, there are still specific restrictions on marijuana itself from the DEA,” said Pedini, when asked how marijuana scheduling works at a federal level. “Removing [it] from the controlled substances act would be helpful and allow for further testing, but the type of testing that we’re talking about is testing that would allow for the pharmaceuticalization.”

This brings up another aspect of the medicinal marijuana conversation. For anyone who has paid attention to the news in the last year, they will be firmly aware of the opioid crisis that has permeated throughout the US. It is has become so entrenched that it is even affecting how doctors are prescribing medication to their patients. Yet one of the strongest arguments in place right now for the legalization of medical marijuana is that it has the potential to mitigate some of the crisis surrounding opioid addiction.

Pedini doesn’t disagree with this defense, who said the data and research in place to support this hypothesis doesn’t lie. If anything it poses a larger question of why this has not been considered sooner.  

One of the most famous compounds in marijuana, THC, halts the rapid increase of opiate receptors. Doing so allows patients who need to use opiates to use the same amount consistently, instead of steadily wanting more and more when they don’t need it. Similarly to when you’ve just had surgery and get that first morphine drip and you feel fantastic, and then four hours later you want a little more.

“It’s because of these simple biological mechanisms are why people ‘substitute’ cannabis for opiates. There was this sort of trope for a while of ‘well they’re just substituting one drug for the other,’ and ‘they just want to get high’,” said Pedini. She also talked about the perception of “moral failure” and how the idea of “swapping one out for the other” has had a detrimental impact on considering marijuana as an acceptable alternative to opioids.

In the US, there are nine states in total that tax and regulate the adult use of marijuana such as Colorado and Vermont. 

Having a democratic governor such as Ralph Northam has made a positive difference in the fight for medical marijuana, and bodes well for the future of regulated adult use in Virginia; there are still many legislative hurdles ahead. Among those things is successfully implementing state-wide medical regulation and a shift in federal policy at a national level.

Pedini was also clear about this. “Virginia’s policymakers will not pass any law that remains in conflict with federal law. “You can safely assume that they’re going to require a shift in federal policy first in order to tax and regulate marijuana for adult use in the Commonwealth,” she said. When is this likely to happen? According to the experts like Pedini, probably not until the next presidential election.

Virginia continues to move forward with tiny, more progressive steps, such as electing two Democratic governors in a row in favor of marijuana reform. Movements such as passing a bill which expands the affirmative defense for possession from only intractable epilepsy to any diagnosed condition make it clearer that a future that states such as Colorado and Vermont experience may not be so far away after all.

Image By Vivienne Lee

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