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Virginia Lawmakers Advance Marijuana Resentencing Bills As Push To Legalize Commercial Sales Also Nears Finish Line

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3 months ago

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Virginia’s House and Senate lawmakers have advanced a pair of bills with amendments that would allow people with prior marijuana convictions to be sentenced.

Members of the Senate and House Judiciary Committees on Monday approved alternate versions of the reform bill in opposite chambers, setting the stage for bicameral negotiations as the measures move through the legislative process.

Broadly, the legislation introduced in both chambers would create a process to consider changing the sentences for people incarcerated or on community supervision for certain crimes involving the possession, manufacture, sale or distribution of marijuana.

The Senate panel approved it HB 26 In a 9-6 vote by Del. Rozia Henson (D), with revisions largely consistent with the House bill, SB 62that is being backed by Senate President Pro Tem Louise Lucas (D). passed on the floor last month before going Home.

Senators have now referred the House measure to the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee for further consideration.

There are some differences between the sizes of the chambers. The House-passed legislation includes minors who would be eligible for relief from marijuana-related convictions, clarifies that judges would only consider convictions for cannabis offenses and specifies that the reform would include people with marijuana-related probation violations.

Both proposed bills apply to people with convictions or convictions for conduct that occurred before July 1, 2021, when a state law legalizing personal possession and home cultivation of marijuana went into effect.




As for the Senate bill, which clean up The House committee’s 15-7 vote Monday would have eliminated more categories of people who could be eligible for the sentence as an alternative, and would add a longer list of violent crimes that make people with cannabis convictions ineligible for relief.

Against the background of these recent developments, Virginia bills to legalize the sale of recreational marijuana have moved forward in the way of implementing laws. Last week, members of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate modified and advanced the proposals of the opposite chambers on the subject.

Members of the Virginia Legislature Last month, he took action on multiple marijuana bills during a major deadline—advance proposals to legalize the sale of cannabis, provide a way to punish previous marijuana convictions, as well as other laws to allow access to medical cannabis for seriously ill patients in hospitals.

Despite their stark differences, the two chambers’ trade sales bills have largely aligned with recommendations released by the legislature in December. Joint Committee to Oversee the Transition to the Commonwealth Retail Cannabis Market.

Meanwhile, some members of the GOP have aligned ideologically with their Democratic colleagues throughout this legislative process, breaking with the majority of their caucus. in favor of creating a regulated market for adults to buy cannabis.

Since legalizing cannabis ownership and home cultivation in 2021, Virginia lawmakers have been working to establish a commercial marijuana market– Only for those efforts to stall under former Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R), who twice vetoed measures sent to his desk by the Legislature.

Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D), on the other hand, supports legalizing the sale of marijuana to adults.

Separately last month, the Virginia House patients passed a bill to allow the use of medical marijuana in hospitals. It would require health care facilities to implement policies “to address the situation in which an eligible patient is authorized to use medical cannabis.”

The Senate passed various pieces of legislation use of medical cannabis in healthcare facilities last month

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Meanwhile, the Virginia House passed the bill earlier this month Protecting the rights of parents who use marijuana by complying with state laws.

Del. According to the proposal by Nadarius Clark (D), a parent or guardian’s own use of cannabis “shall not serve as a basis for a finding of abuse or neglect of a child unless other facts establish that its possession or consumption causes or produces physical or mental injury to the child.”

“A person’s legal possession or consumption of substances permitted (under state marijuana law) shall not serve as a basis for limiting custody or visitation unless other facts establish that such possession or consumption is not in the best interest of the child,” reads the text of HB 942.

Separately, the Virginia Department of Labor and Industry has published a new defining workplace protections for cannabis users.

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Columbia hemp business Burning Acre to close and move to North Carolina over new Tennessee rules

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4 hours ago

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June 14, 2026

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Burning Acre, a Columbia, Tennessee-based hemp company, says it will close its retail store and move operations to North Carolina ahead of new state regulations that take effect July 1, according to WSMV.

The business says its last day to open in Columbia will be June 30, the same day the Tennessee Department of Agriculture licenses for hemp-derived cannabinoids expire. As of July 1, businesses that continue to operate in the state will be required to be licensed under a new regulatory framework led by the Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission.

Burning Acre says the changes have forced it to abandon plans for a new sandwich shop and bakery and close its Tennessee retail operations and relocate to Murphy, North Carolina. “I won’t sugarcoat it, it’s a very hard video for me and a message I should never have written,” the business wrote.

The business puts the annual cost of manufacturing, distribution and running the retail store at about $750. Under the new rules, he says, those costs would rise by tens of thousands of dollars, citing new licensing fees, a required $25,000 annual bond and increased testing fees.

The law, which took effect in July, changes the regulation of hemp-derived cannabinoid businesses from the Department of Agriculture to the ABC. The Department of Agriculture stopped issuing licenses at the end of 2025, and the licenses issued by the TDA will remain valid until June 30, 2026.

“Columbia, we absolutely love being a part of this community,” said Burning Acre. “We are truly heartbroken to have to say goodbye to this location.”

Read more at WSMV4










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North Carolina Lawmakers Advance Bill To Set A Minimum Age Limit For Hemp And Kratom Products

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5 hours ago

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June 14, 2026

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“Many other details about cannabis have been debated and will continue to be debated.”

By Christine Zhu, NC Newsline

Lawmakers in North Carolina are considering banning people under 21 from buying or possessing certain hemp-derived consumables, including combustible hemp flower, hemp cigarettes, gummies and drinks, or items that include the drug kratom.

The House Agriculture and Environment Committee approved a rewrite of Senate Bill 59 on Wednesday. This is the latest attempt by state legislators after years of proposals to regulate the sale of hemp products that didn’t work out in the end.

This measure would prohibit companies from selling such products to under-21s. If the seller has “reasonable grounds” to believe that the buyer is under the age of 21, the seller must verify the buyer’s ID.

Rep. Jimmy Dixon (R-Duplin), who introduced the bill, said he was motivated to bring public attention to issues surrounding cannabis. He said there was a 14-year-old boy in his neighborhood who had an emergency after buying a hemp-derived product.

“There are a lot of other details about cannabis that have been debated and will continue to be debated, but ladies and gentlemen, to make sure we have the good sense to be agents of these kinds of issues, that’s the lowest hanging fruit,” he said.

Violators would face a Class 2 felony, as well as a fine of $500 for a first offense, $1,000 for a second offense and $1,500 for subsequent offenses.

asked Rep. Pricey Harrison (D-Guilford). of the bill language resulted in potential changes to hemp-derived products. It is common for manufacturers of synthetic recreational drugs to make changes to the chemical composition of their products to avoid legal bans or restrictions.

“I assume the definition as written is broad enough to capture any future manipulation of molecules,” he said. Dixon nodded.

Legislators also voted in favor correction To add kratom products to the under-21 ban.

Rep. Jeffrey McNeely (R-Iredell), who proposed the amendment, said it was necessary to add those elements to the bill.

“I’ve been working on this for quite some time, trying to get these bills passed,” McNeely said. “We definitely have a problem. So I’m hoping we can keep posting this and we’ll get something done before we get out of the short session here.”

Both the amendment and the legislation passed unanimously without debate.

The bill moves next to the House Rules Committee. Other amendments will be heard when they appear on the House floor, which could be as soon as next week.

This story was first published by NC Newsline.

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GreenTech Amsterdam 2026 in 2026 photos

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1 day ago

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June 13, 2026

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Well, it’s not 2026 photos, but with around 600 photos, we definitely did our best. For the past two days, the Netherlands has been the place to be for the global greenhouse industry. From Flower Trials for the horticulture sector, company visits to growers and technical suppliers, as well as dinners, get-togethers, drinks, knowledge sessions and much more. And of course with GreenTech Amsterdam.

The event brought together professionals from around the world to connect, network, share knowledge and do business.

Next week, we’ll be sharing more information on market developments, trends, what’s on display, news, business news, innovations and whatever else you can think of, but for now we’ll stick to photo reporting.

Click here for the photo report.

© Arlette Sijmonsma | MMJDaily.com










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