Richmond, VA--Retailers of hemp products in Virginia face hefty fines due to non-compliance with a recently implemented law.
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As part of the latest initiative, local authorities are keen on ensuring that hemp-derived products sold in stores adhere to the newly-established regulations.
Actions Taken by VDACS
The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) has been at the forefront of this enforcement.
A news report by MJ Biz Daily states that By the end of July, they had dispatched five non-compliance notifications to different businesses. As outlined by the Virginia Mercury, the penalties for these breaches span from $13,000 to an alarming $97,500. However, there is a silver lining for the defaulters.
If they can assure authorities of aligning their operations with the law and satisfying certain conditions, these fines could be slashed to $10,000.
One notable case involved a retailer with the steepest penalty for offering hemp products that surpassed the legal THC threshold of 0.3% and stocked items with synthetic THC and merchandise resembling popular snacks.
VDACS has unambiguously stated that repeated infringements will result in escalated penalties. A common oversight among these penalized businesses was their negligence in providing obligatory documentation, which confirms the retailing of edible hemp items.
Details of the New Hemp Law
Effective July 1, Virginia introduced this law governing hemp-derived products, introducing a set of rules:
- Capping the THC content in hemp items at 0.3%.
- Instituting limits on the total THC amount in each package based on its CBD content.
- Mandating disclosure forms for hemp product producers and vendors.
- Setting child-safety packaging norms for products infused with THC.
- Stringent labeling norms.
Marijuana Stance in Virginia
While Virginia recognizes the medicinal use of marijuana, the state's Governor, Glenn Youngkin, has asserted that the prospect of legalizing recreational marijuana won't see the light of day during his tenure.