I don’t speak for everyone, but I can speak to the sentiments I have consistently heard from people across Virginia’s cannabis and hemp community.
A lot of people are angry right now.
Not simply because of policy disagreements, but because of how the veto support letter felt to many in the broader cannabis community. Leading up to that moment, many people did not expect organizations like the CSBA and others to support a veto of the adult-use bill. The timing and messaging left many feeling blindsided, betrayed, and backstabbed.
Whether that reaction was intended or not, it is real, and I think acknowledging that honestly is the first step toward repairing trust.
Going forward, I believe clarity and transparency would help everyone.
Personally, I think organizations like the CSBA would benefit from more balance in leadership and representation. Right now, many people perceive the leadership as heavily weighted toward hemp interests without equal representation from the broader cannabis community. Bringing more cannabis industry voices to the table would help build trust and ensure all sides feel represented fairly. (100% not me though. I will be glad to listen and help, but do not wish to be on any board at this time)
The partnership optics also mattered.
For many people, seeing names like Total Wine & More associated with the veto support effort raised concerns. Many in the community have spent years criticizing the influence of large MSOs and corporate interests in cannabis. Seeing hemp groups seemingly align with major alcohol interests felt contradictory to the message of protecting small businesses.
We do not need to choose corporate allies, whether they are alcohol corporations or cannabis MSOs.
What we need is honesty, clarity, transparency, and cooperation.
At the same time, I think we also need to acknowledge a political reality.
After Governor Abigail Spanberger proposed amendments reducing the number of retail licenses below the original 350 in the bill, it is clear the state is not going to support an immediate conversion of over 2,000 existing hemp stores into full recreational cannabis retailers.
Realistically, that was never going to happen.
At the same time, it would not be fair to simply hold a lottery where thousands of existing stores compete for a very limited number of licenses while new operators and future businesses are pushed aside completely.
This means we need a serious and honest discussion about categories, distinctions, and pathways forward.
I think most people can agree there are important differences between:
- industrial hemp,
- hemp for human consumption,
- intoxicating hemp/cannabis products,
- and regulated cannabis.
Industrial hemp should obviously not face a 2mg THC limitation on non-consumable products like fiber hemp or biomass not intended for human consumption.
Likewise, hemp grown for human consumption should still be allowed to exist and develop, with final retail products meeting regulatory standards before entering the marketplace.
If a hemp crop tests “hot,” I believe there should still be pathways for that material to be processed responsibly rather than destroyed outright. Concentrates and formulations can be blended to meet required compliance ratios such as the 25:1 standard.
These are solvable regulatory issues if people are willing to work together honestly.
So I would pose these questions directly to the CSBA and others involved in this debate:
What level of THC do you personally consider intoxicating?
At what point should a product move from “general hemp” into the category of intoxicating hemp or cannabis?
Where should those regulatory lines realistically exist?
Because if we, hemp and cannabis together, cannot define those lines honestly, then we will continue talking past each other instead of solving the problem.
This post is intended as an olive branch.
So I ask this sincerely:
What specific requirements would it take for you to support the next adult-use cannabis bill?
List them clearly.
List them honestly.
List them transparently.
If both sides are willing to clearly define their concerns and expectations, then I believe the language of the next bill can be developed to protects hemp farmers, supports small businesses, creates pathways for responsible operators, and still allows Virginia to finally move forward with a regulated adult-use cannabis market.
I also want the cannabis community to think hard about what they want in the next bill. Be honest with yourselves about what we won’t get, and spend your time working on the details of the things we can get.
None of us are going to get everything we want.
But if we continue dividing into separate camps and treating each other as enemies, the only people who ultimately benefit are the largest corporate players waiting for smaller groups to fracture and fail.
Lastly on a humor and consumer note: $100 to the VA seed breeder that comes out with a commemorative “Virginia Olive Branch Strain” after we work all of this out. My friend that often says they are Switzerland during many disagreements, this might be right up your ally.
