MJBiz - September/October 2024 - 25

Virginia
Authorities in Virginia levied $10.77 million in fines on almost 350 businesses across the state
for violating rules restricting intoxicating hemp-derived cannabinoid products.
According to Axios Richmond, nearly 82% of hemp businesses visited by Virginia regulators
were in violation of the new rules, which went into effect July 1, 2023.
Of the 424 businesses inspected by the state's Department of Agriculture and Consumer
Services, 346 were in violation, the online news outlet reported.
Between July 1, 2023, and June 30, 2024, Virginia issued a total of 17,715 violations.
In a smaller-scale crackdown about a year ago, the state issued five noncompliance letters
to businesses, with fines ranging from $13,000 to $97,500.
Virginia's rules legislating hemp products limit the amount of THC to 0.3%, with no more
than 2 milligrams in individual products.
The only exception is if there's a 25-to-1 ratio of CBD to THC, which would nullify most
intoxicating effects for most people.
Additional requirements include child-resistant packaging and restrictions on labeling.
Hemp industry advocates claim federal protection for such products under the 2018 Farm Bill.
However, federal authorities have cracked down on merchants selling hemp products with
excessive THC and contained in packaging that mimics the branding of popular snacks and cereals.
Utah
The state's regulated medical marijuana market now serves more than 83,000 patients,
according to the latest monthly report from the state Department of Health & Human
Services' Center for Medical Cannabis. The MMJ patient count for March was up 19% on a
year-over-year basis, according to Salt Lake City radio station KSL.
The report for March 2024 counted 83,421 registered patients, alongside 950 physicians,
registered nurses and physician assistants registered to recommend medical marijuana.
Meanwhile, monthly gross sales of medical cannabis products were roughly $16.1 million.
Net monthly sales after discounts were about $13.5 million, with 122,361 orders in March.
Persistent pain continues to be the most common qualifying condition for MMJ
registrations in Utah, which launched legal medical marijuana sales in March 2020.
Wyoming
A federal judge in Wyoming rejected an initial challenge to the state's new restrictions on
hemp-derived products brought by would-be sellers of intoxicating goods such as delta-8 THC.
The state's new rules-which also close a loophole that some hemp merchants have
exploited to sell so-called THCA flower-do not violate the Constitution, U.S. District Judge
Kelly Rankin ruled on July 19.
The 2018 U.S. Farm Bill does not preclude states from passing stricter laws of their own,
added Rankin, who was ruling on a June request for a preliminary injunction to block the new
law brought by a coterie of Wyoming hemp businesses.
Though the case is still pending in court, Wyoming's attorney general followed up Rankin's
ruling with a motion to dismiss.
Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon signed Senate File 32 into law in March. The law, which took
effect July 1, effectively banned the sale of hemp-derived THC products with more than 0.3%
THC by dry weight " when using post-decarboxylation or another similarly reliable testing
method, " according to the legislation.
It also banned the addition of " synthetic substances into hemp, " a term understood to mean
delta-8 THC and other so-called " novel cannabinoids " derived via a chemical process.
Note: Entries sourced from MJBizDaily and other international, national and local news outlets. These
developments occurred before this magazine's publication deadline, so some situations might have changed.
mjbizdaily.com | September-October 2024 25

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