Data as of 2026-06-07

Virginia

Virginia legalized adult possession and home cultivation effective July 1, 2021: adults 21 and over may possess up to 1 ounce of cannabis in public and a household may cultivate up to 4 plants. The 2021 law made the commercial adult-use retail framework contingent on a 2022 reenactment that never occurred, and adult-use retail bills were vetoed in 2024, in 2025, and again on May 19, 2026, when Governor Spanberger vetoed HB642/SB542. No adult-use retail sale has ever taken place in the Commonwealth. The only legal commercial cannabis sales are medical, run by five vertically integrated pharmaceutical processors permitted one per health service area under the Cannabis Control Authority; four are operational. There are 23 operating medical dispensing facilities as of June 2026, up from 19 in fiscal year 2025. The medical patient base reached 114,859 unique patients in fiscal year 2025, up 10.5 percent over the prior year. Medical sales totaled $44,138,911 in the first quarter of calendar-year 2026 across 369,239 transactions, a figure drawn from the regulator's data dashboard via trade-press reporting. Cannabis arrests fell from 26,530 in calendar-year 2019, before legalization, to 1,462 in calendar-year 2024. Most adult-use market figures do not exist because the market itself does not exist.

Market

Licensing & Market

Virginia operates no competitive adult-use license system. The commercial framework is medical and vertically integrated: a pharmaceutical processor cultivates, processes, and dispenses at one site, with one processor permit authorized per health service area across the state's five areas. Of the five permits, four processors are operational; the fifth health service area had conditional approval but no operating processor in fiscal year 2025. That is 0.45 operating cultivators per million residents, measured against total state population. Each processor may operate up to five dispensing facilities per health service area, a statutory ceiling of 25 statewide; 23 are operational as of June 2026, or 0.26 operating dispensaries per 100,000 residents. The state does not run a competitive dispensary-award process, so no awarded-but-unopened backlog is published and an activation rate is not computed. Vertical integration is required. Ownership changes are permitted and have occurred through acquisition rather than license loss. There is no owner-residency requirement. The pharmaceutical processor permit carries an $18,000 application fee, a $165,000 initial permit fee, and a $132,000 annual renewal; the dispensing facility permit carries a $5,000 application fee, an $80,000 initial permit fee, and a $64,000 annual renewal. The state tracks product through Metrc.

Field Value Source
Cultivator licenses awarded 5 [6]
Cultivator licenses operational 4 [7]
Cultivator activation rate 80% [8]
Operating cultivators per million 0.45 [9]
Retail licenses awarded Not available in the public record —
Retail licenses operational 23 [10]
Retail activation rate Not available in the public record —
Dispensaries per 100k 0.26 [11]
Vertical integration required [12]
License caps exist Yes [13]
Licenses transferable Yes [14]
Residency required No [15]
Residency duration (months) Not available in the public record —
Municipalities allowing Not available in the public record —
Municipalities total 133 [16]
Municipal opt-in rate Not available in the public record —
Track-and-trace system Metrc [17]
Cultivator application fee $18,000 [18]
Cultivator annual fee $132,000 [19]
Retail application fee $5,000 [20]
Retail annual fee $64,000 [21]
Consumers

Consumer Rules

Adults 21 and over may possess up to 1 ounce of cannabis in public. Home cultivation is permitted: a household may grow up to 4 plants, a limit set per household rather than per person. Commercial purchase is available only through the medical program. Medical dispensing of botanical flower is capped at 4 ounces per 30-day period, and all cannabis products carry a 10-milligram THC per-dose cap; only products registered with the regulator may be dispensed. Permitted product forms include botanical flower, concentrates and oils, edibles, topicals, vape formulations, and tinctures. Medical delivery is authorized — a processor or dispensing-facility agent, or a patient's parent, guardian, or registered agent, may deliver to the patient — but no general delivery service is allowed and the state publishes no count of operating delivery. Consumption lounges are not authorized; no on-site consumption license type exists in Virginia law.

Field Value Source
Home grow allowed Yes [22]
Home grow plant limit 4 [23]
Possession limit (oz) 1 [24]
Delivery legal Yes [25]
Delivery operational Not available in the public record —
Consumption lounges legal No [26]
Consumption lounges count 0 [27]
Purchase limit, flower (oz) 4 [28]
Purchase limit, concentrate (g) Not available in the public record —
Purchase limit, edibles (mg) 10 [29]
All product forms legal Yes [30]
Restricted product forms 10 mg THC per-dose cap on all cannabis products (Va. Code 4.1-1600 definition); botanical flower dispensing capped at 4 oz per 30-day period (Va. Code 4.1-1603(A)); only CCA-registered products may be dispensed. [31]
Taxes

Taxation

Virginia imposes no cannabis excise tax. The 6 percent adult-use excise in the 2026 retail bill was vetoed and never took effect, and no commercial cannabis tax of any kind has ever been enacted in the Commonwealth. Medical cannabis is not exempt from sales tax: the Department of Taxation's nonprescription-drug exemption covers only a drug that does not contain a controlled substance or marijuana, and the prescription-drug exemption does not reach medical cannabis, which is dispensed by written certification rather than prescription. Medical cannabis is therefore subject to the general retail sales and use tax — a 5.3 percent base rate, rising to 6 to 7 percent in some regions. Because no adult-use market exists, there is no dedicated cannabis tax revenue, and any general sales tax collected on medical cannabis is not separately reported by the Commonwealth.

Field Value Source
Excise tax Not available in the public record —
Excise tax type none [32]
Sales tax 5.3% [33]
Wholesale tax Not available in the public record —
Potency tax exists No [34]
Potency tax, flower Not available in the public record —
Potency tax, concentrate Not available in the public record —
Potency tax, edibles Not available in the public record —
Local tax (max) Not available in the public record —
Local tax (typical) Not available in the public record —
Total effective rate 5.3% [35]
Medical tax exempt No [36]
Medical tax rate 5.3% [37]
Annual tax revenue Not available in the public record —
Tax revenue per capita Not available in the public record —
Tax changed since legalization No [38]
Tax direction unchanged [39]
Operators

Operator Data

Virginia publishes no clean annual cannabis sales total. The regulator reports monthly medical sales only through a data dashboard that is not machine-readable; the most recent figure available is $44,138,911 in medical sales for the first quarter of calendar-year 2026, across 369,239 transactions, reaching the public record through trade-press reporting of that dashboard. Adult-use sales are absent because no adult-use retail market exists. The average price of medical botanical flower was $10.19 per gram, or about $289 per ounce, in the first quarter of 2026, also a dashboard reading via trade press. The state publishes no wholesale price index, so wholesale-level prices and operator margins cannot be quantified from public records. The market consolidated through ownership transfer rather than license attrition, with one entity, Arboretum Virginia, becoming the permit holder in two of the five health service areas. Arboretum Virginia became the HSA IV permit holder on February 5, 2026, after Parma Holdco, an entity affiliated with Millstreet, closed a $130 million acquisition of Green Leaf Medical of Virginia from The Cannabist Company; per trade-press reporting and the Cannabist Company's own disclosures, Parma was the acquiring equity entity and Arboretum the resulting permit holder. Arboretum Virginia also took over Ayr Wellness's HSA I operations, with the initial closing announced April 10, 2026. The state publishes no peak-versus-current count of cultivation permits distinct from the current operating total of four processors.

Field Value Source
Wholesale flower ($/lb) Not available in the public record —
Wholesale flower period Not available in the public record —
Wholesale trend Not available in the public record —
Wholesale price compression Not available in the public record —
Retail flower ($/oz) $289 [40]
Operator margin Not available in the public record —
Total market sales Not available in the public record —
Adult-use sales Not available in the public record —
Per-capita sales Not available in the public record —
YoY sales growth Not available in the public record —
License attrition (count) Not available in the public record —
License attrition Not available in the public record —
Peak cultivation licenses Not available in the public record —
Current cultivation licenses 4 [41]
Outcomes

Consumer Data

Virginia residents are served by 0.26 operating medical dispensaries per 100,000 residents, measured against total state population. The medical patient base reached 114,859 unique patients in fiscal year 2025, up 10.5 percent over fiscal year 2024. The average price of medical botanical flower rose from roughly $9.54 per gram in November 2025 to roughly $10.19 per gram in the first quarter of 2026, a reading from the regulator's data dashboard via trade press. The state publishes no per-capita sales figure and no estimate of legal-market capture — the share of total consumption met by licensed retailers versus the unregulated market — so the degree to which legal supply has displaced the unregulated market cannot be stated from public sources. The only public capture figure is a 2020 legislative projection for an adult-use retail market that never launched, and is not usable as a current rate.

Field Value Source
Per-capita sales Not available in the public record —
Dispensaries per 100k 0.26 [11]
Legal market capture Not available in the public record —
Legal capture source Not available in the public record —
Retail price trend increasing [42]
Equity

Equity Programs

Virginia's cannabis equity framework exists in statute but its licensing arm never launched, because no legal adult-use retail market exists. The Cannabis Equity Reinvestment Board and Cannabis Equity Reinvestment Fund are established for community reinvestment, scholarships, and workforce and reentry grants, and a Cannabis Equity Business Loan Fund is established to make low- or zero-interest loans to social-equity licensees. Both funds are special nonreverting funds in the state treasury. No public dollar figure exists for either fund's size or disbursement, and the Reinvestment Fund's principal statutory revenue stream — a share of cannabis tax revenue — does not exist absent a legal retail market. No adult-use licenses have been issued, so there is no licensee ownership demographic, no count of equity-designated licenses, and no income cap to report; the microbusiness and social-equity licensing structure sat in the vetoed 2026 bill. Automatic record sealing of former cannabis-possession offenses is enacted to occur without a court order, effective July 1, 2026, with the Virginia State Police beginning to transmit record lists to courts on October 1, 2026; no count of records sealed is published because the mechanism is not yet operative. Automatic resentencing was signed May 15, 2026, effective July 1, 2026.

Field Value Source
Equity program exists Yes [43]
Equity program type Statutory framework only (adult-use equity licensing never launched — no legal retail market). Cannabis Equity Reinvestment Board + Cannabis Equity Reinvestment Fund (Va. Code 2.2-2499.5 / 2.2-2499.8) for community reinvestment, scholarships, workforce/reentry grants; Virginia Cannabis Equity Business Loan Fund (Va. Code 4.1-1501) for low/zero-interest loans to social-equity licensees; automatic record sealing (19.2-392.6:1) and automatic resentencing (HB26/SB62, signed May 15, 2026, effective July 1, 2026). Microbusiness/social-equity licensing was in the vetoed HB642. [44]
Equity licenses awarded Not available in the public record —
Equity licenses operational Not available in the public record —
Equity activation rate Not available in the public record —
Equity fund exists Yes [45]
Equity fund size Not available in the public record —
Equity fund disbursed Not available in the public record —
Equity fund disbursement rate Not available in the public record —
Minority ownership Not available in the public record —
Women ownership Not available in the public record —
Community reinvestment Not available in the public record —
Expungement exists Yes [46]
Expungement automatic Yes [47]
Expungements processed Not available in the public record —
Income cap for equity Not available in the public record —
Enforcement

Enforcement

Virginia tracks regulated medical product seed-to-sale through Metrc. The Cannabis Control Authority operated a $6.2 million budget in fiscal year 2025, spending $4.8 million, and concluded the fiscal year with 25 full-time employees. Botanical cannabis products must be tested across 8 required categories under state regulation. Beyond these figures, the state does not publish the operational metrics of enforcement: inspection counts, enforcement actions against licensees, illicit-market enforcement actions, per-batch testing cost, and product recalls are not available in the public record — not because enforcement does not occur, but because fiscal year 2025 was the regulator's first full year of medical-program oversight and seed-to-sale tracking launched only at its close. There is no monetary fine schedule for operators: the medical statute provides license-based sanctions — suspension, revocation, probation, and refusal to renew — rather than codified monetary penalties.

Field Value Source
Track-and-trace system Metrc [17]
Inspections per year Not available in the public record —
Enforcement actions (licensees) Not available in the public record —
Unlicensed-market enforcement actions Not available in the public record —
Regulatory budget $6,200,000 [48]
Regulatory staff 25 [49]
Mandatory testing analytes 8 [50]
Testing cost per batch Not available in the public record —
Product recalls per year Not available in the public record —
Fine schedule (min) Not available in the public record —
Fine schedule (max) Not available in the public record —
Criminal Law

Penalties & Criminal Law

Virginia repealed its simple-possession crime effective July 1, 2021, and no cannabis penalty has been enacted upward since. Possession of 1 ounce or less in public by an adult 21 or over is lawful; possession above 1 ounce carries a civil penalty of up to $25, with criminal bands beginning above 4 ounces — more than 4 ounces to 1 pound is a Class 3 misdemeanor, and more than 1 pound is a felony carrying 1 to 10 years and a fine up to $250,000. Unlicensed cultivation is charged by plant count, escalating from a civil penalty at the lowest tier to a felony of 1 to 10 years for more than 100 plants. Unlicensed sale of more than 5 pounds is a felony carrying 5 to 30 years, and a third or subsequent felony distribution offense carries 5 years to life with a 5-year mandatory minimum. A 2026 proposal to make transporting 50 or more pounds a Class 2 felony of 20 years to life was rejected by the Senate and died with the May 19, 2026 veto. Virginia sets no per se THC blood limit for impaired driving, relying on an impairment standard. Cannabis arrests fell from 26,530 in calendar-year 2019 to 1,462 in calendar-year 2024. A post-legalization racial disparity ratio is not asserted here: the regulator's arrest reports are not race-disaggregated for cannabis, and the strongest available figure is a pre-legalization series preserved in the underlying time-series rather than stated as a current figure.

Field Value Source
Max penalty, unlicensed cultivation More than 100 plants: felony, 1-10 years imprisonment and/or fine up to $250,000 (Va. Code 4.1-1101 tiered scheme: 5-10 plants = $250 civil/1st offense, Class 3 then Class 2 misdemeanor; 11-49 plants = Class 1 misdemeanor; 50-100 plants = Class 6 felony; >100 plants = 1-10 yrs). [51]
Max penalty, unlicensed sale More than 5 lbs: felony, 5-30 years imprisonment (Va. Code 18.2-248.1). Third or subsequent felony distribution offense = 5 years to life with a 5-year mandatory minimum. (<=1 oz = Class 1 misdemeanor; >1 oz-5 lbs = Class 5 felony.) [52]
Felony threshold (grams) 453.6 [53]
Felony threshold type possession [54]
Penalty, possession over limit More than 1 oz: civil penalty up to $25 (Va. Code 4.1-1100(B)) — the statute sets no 4 oz ceiling on the civil penalty; the criminal bands begin above 4 oz. >4 oz-1 lb: Class 3 misdemeanor (Class 2 on second offense). >1 lb: felony, 1-10 years and/or fine up to $250,000. [55]
Penalty, public consumption First offense: civil penalty up to $25; second: $25 plus required substance-abuse education/treatment; third or subsequent: Class 4 misdemeanor (Va. Code 4.1-1108). [56]
DUI per se limit (ng) Not available in the public record —
DUI zero tolerance No [57]
Penalties increased post-legalization No [58]
Penalty direction lighter [59]
Penalty direction details Simple-possession crime (former Va. Code 18.2-250.1) repealed effective July 1, 2021; possession of <=1 oz in public is lawful and 1-4 oz is a $25 civil penalty (4.1-1100). No cannabis penalty has been enacted upward since 2021. A proposed harsher transport penalty (HB642 substitute: transporting 50+ lbs = Class 2 felony, 20 years to life) was rejected by the Senate and the bill was vetoed May 19, 2026, so it never took effect. [60]
Post-legalization arrests (annual) 1462 [61]
Racial disparity ratio Not available in the public record —
Expungement exists Yes [46]
Expungement automatic Yes [47]

Sources

  1. ↑ U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2024 Population Estimates (NST-EST2024), NAME field = 'Virginia', FIPS state code 51 https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/datasets/2020-2024/state/totals/NST-EST2024-ALLDATA.csv
  2. ↑ USPS/U.S. Census Bureau standard two-letter abbreviation; FIPS state 51 = Virginia https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/datasets/2020-2024/state/totals/NST-EST2024-ALLDATA.csv
  3. ↑ Most recent data points: CCA medical dispensary list (current, June 2026) and the May 19, 2026 adult-use retail veto. CCA 2025 Annual Report (RD974) and DCJS 2015-2024 arrest report are the latest published vintages https://cca.virginia.gov/medicalcannabis/dispensaries
  4. ↑ Va. Code 4.1-1100 (possession) and 4.1-1101 (home cultivation), enacted by 2021 Sp. Sess. I, cc. 550, 551 (HB 2312 / SB 1406), approved by Gov. Northam Apr 7, 2021; adult possession and home-cultivation provisions effective July 1, 2021 https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title4.1/chapter11/section4.1-1100/
  5. ↑ U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2024 Population Estimates, POPESTIMATE2024 (July 1, 2024) = 8,811,195 for Virginia. (human cross-check: https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/VA/PST045224) https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/datasets/2020-2024/state/totals/NST-EST2024-ALLDATA.csv
  6. ↑ Va. Code 4.1-1602(B) — one pharmaceutical processor permit per health service area (5 HSAs = 5 processor permits; each is vertically integrated and includes cultivation). Adult-use cultivation licensing (Title 4.1 commercial chapters) is Reserved/non-operational = 0 awarded. ; https://cca.virginia.gov/medicalcannabis/processors https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title4.1/chapter16/section4.1-1602/
  7. ↑ Virginia CCA 2025 Annual Report (RD974), p.8 — four pharmaceutical processors operational in FY25 (HSA I had conditional approval but no operational processor) https://rga.lis.virginia.gov/Published/2025/RD974/PDF
  8. ↑ CALC: 4 operational pharmaceutical processors / 5 permitted (one per HSA) x 100 = 80.0%.
  9. ↑ CALC: 4 operational pharmaceutical processors / (8,811,195 population / 1,000,000) = 0.45.
  10. ↑ Virginia CCA, Medical Cannabis Dispensaries list (current, June 2026) — 23 operating dispensing facilities statewide (HSA II Jushi/Beyond Hello 6, HSA III GTI/RISE 6, HSA IV Arboretum Virginia (gLeaf/Cannabist brands) 5, HSA V Verano/Zen Leaf 6, HSA I 0). HSA IV permit holder is Arboretum Virginia (operator); Parma Holdco was the Millstreet-affiliated equity acquirer of the underlying Green Leaf business https://cca.virginia.gov/medicalcannabis/dispensaries
  11. ↑ CALC: 23 operational dispensaries / (8,811,195 / 100,000) = 0.26.
  12. ↑ Virginia CCA 2025 Annual Report (RD974), p.8 — a pharmaceutical processor is 'a vertically integrated facility that cultivates, processes, and dispenses medical cannabis at one site' (statutory framework Va. Code 4.1-1602). ; https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title4.1/chapter16/section4.1-1602/ https://rga.lis.virginia.gov/Published/2025/RD974/PDF
  13. ↑ Va. Code 4.1-1602(B) — statutory cap: one pharmaceutical processor and up to five cannabis dispensing facilities per health service area (5 HSAs) https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title4.1/chapter16/section4.1-1602/
  14. ↑ 3VAC10-40-220 contemplates change of ownership (14-day board notice; new owners >=5% must submit to fingerprinting/criminal-history per 4.1-1602) — i.e., ownership changes are permitted rather than an explicit 'transfer' grant. Confirmed in practice by HSA I (Ayr -> Arboretum Virginia, initial closing announced Apr 10, 2026) and HSA IV (Green Leaf Medical of VA acquired via equity purchase by Parma Holdco (Millstreet affiliate), $130M, closed Feb 5, 2026; Arboretum Virginia is the resulting permit holder/operator) https://law.lis.virginia.gov/admincode/title3/agency10/chapter40/section220/
  15. ↑ Va. Code 4.1-1602 and Title 4.1 Chapter 16 contain no owner-residency requirement for pharmaceutical processor or dispensing-facility permits https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title4.1/chapter16/section4.1-1602/
  16. ↑ [SECONDARY] Virginia has 133 general-purpose local governments (95 counties + 38 independent cities); structure confirmed by U.S. Census Bureau Virginia State & Local Geography guide https://www2.census.gov/geo/pdfs/reference/guidestloc/va_gslcg.pdf
  17. ↑ Virginia CCA, 'Metrc Chosen for New Seed-to-Sale Tracking System' — CCA selected Metrc for the Virginia medical cannabis seed-to-sale program https://cca.virginia.gov/news/metrc-chosen-for-new-seed-to-sale-tracking-system
  18. ↑ 3VAC10-20-30 — pharmaceutical processor permit application fee = $18,000 (the processor permit encompasses cultivation) https://law.lis.virginia.gov/admincodefull/title3/agency10/chapter20/
  19. ↑ 3VAC10-20-30 — pharmaceutical processor annual permit renewal fee = $132,000 (initial permit issuance $165,000) https://law.lis.virginia.gov/admincodefull/title3/agency10/chapter20/
  20. ↑ 3VAC10-20-40 — cannabis dispensing facility permit application fee = $5,000 https://law.lis.virginia.gov/admincodefull/title3/agency10/chapter20/
  21. ↑ 3VAC10-20-40 — cannabis dispensing facility annual permit renewal fee = $64,000 (initial issuance $80,000) https://law.lis.virginia.gov/admincodefull/title3/agency10/chapter20/
  22. ↑ Va. Code 4.1-1101(A) — 'A person 21 years of age or older may cultivate up to four marijuana plants for personal use at their place of residence.' https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title4.1/chapter11/section4.1-1101/
  23. ↑ Va. Code 4.1-1101(A) — 'at no point shall a household contain more than four marijuana plants' (4 per household, not per person) https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title4.1/chapter11/section4.1-1101/
  24. ↑ Va. Code 4.1-1100(A) — lawful for persons 21+ to possess one ounce or less of cannabis in public https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title4.1/chapter11/section4.1-1100/
  25. ↑ Va. Code 4.1-1602 — medical cannabis may not be sold/dispensed via a general delivery service, but an agent of the processor or cannabis dispensing facility (or a parent/guardian/registered agent) may deliver products to the patient; no adult-use retail or delivery exists https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title4.1/chapter16/section4.1-1602/
  26. ↑ No consumption-lounge license type exists in Virginia law; on-site consumption is not authorized (lounges remain a future-study item only) https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title4.1/chapter11/
  27. ↑ No authorized consumption-lounge license exists in Virginia; operating count = 0 https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title4.1/chapter11/
  28. ↑ Va. Code 4.1-1603(A) — 'No more than four ounces of botanical cannabis shall be dispensed for each 30-day period' (medical) https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title4.1/chapter16/section4.1-1603/
  29. ↑ Va. Code 4.1-1600 'cannabis product' definition — no more than 10 milligrams of THC per dose (medical) https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title4.1/chapter16/section4.1-1600/
  30. ↑ Va. Code 4.1-1600 / 4.1-1603 — VA medical program permits botanical flower, concentrates/oils, edibles, topicals, vapes, tinctures and other registered forms; restrictions are on dosing/registration, not the forms themselves https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title4.1/chapter16/section4.1-1603/
  31. ↑ Va. Code 4.1-1600 (10 mg THC per-dose cap on all products) and 4.1-1603(A) (botanical flower capped at 4 oz per 30-day period); only CCA-registered products may be dispensed https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title4.1/chapter16/section4.1-1603/
  32. ↑ No cannabis excise tax exists in Virginia. The 6% adult-use excise in HB 642 (2026) was vetoed and never took effect; the medical program has no excise https://www.governor.virginia.gov/newsroom/news-releases/2026/may-releases/name-1118109-en.html
  33. ↑ Virginia Tax Bulletin 98-4 (Dept. of Taxation) — the nonprescription-drug exemption covers only a drug that 'does not contain any controlled substance or marijuana,' affirmatively excluding marijuana; and Va. Code 58.1-609.10's prescription-drug exemption is limited to drugs dispensed on prescription (medical cannabis is dispensed by written certification, not prescription). Medical cannabis is therefore subject to the general retail sales & use tax (5.3% base; 6%-7% in some regions). ; https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title58.1/chapter6/section58.1-609.10/ ; https://www.tax.virginia.gov/retail-sales-and-use-tax https://www.tax.virginia.gov/laws-rules-decisions/tax-bulletins/98-4
  34. ↑ No potency-based cannabis tax exists in Virginia law (no enacted commercial cannabis tax of any kind) https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title58.1/
  35. ↑ CALC: for the only legal (medical) retail channel, the combined tax is the general retail sales & use tax (5.3% base; 6%-7% in some regions); no excise or local cannabis tax is enacted https://www.tax.virginia.gov/retail-sales-and-use-tax
  36. ↑ Virginia Tax Bulletin 98-4 + Va. Code 58.1-609.10 — marijuana is expressly excluded from the nonprescription-drug exemption, and medical cannabis is dispensed by written certification (not prescription), so it is not exempt from sales tax. ; https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title58.1/chapter6/section58.1-609.10/ https://www.tax.virginia.gov/laws-rules-decisions/tax-bulletins/98-4
  37. ↑ Virginia Dept. of Taxation general retail sales & use tax (5.3% base, 6%-7% in some regions) applied to medical cannabis (not exempt per Tax Bulletin 98-4 / 58.1-609.10). ; https://www.tax.virginia.gov/retail-sales-and-use-tax https://www.tax.virginia.gov/laws-rules-decisions/tax-bulletins/98-4
  38. ↑ No commercial cannabis tax has ever been enacted in Virginia (adult-use retail/tax framework vetoed in 2024, 2025, and 2026); the medical program's tax treatment has not changed since 2021 https://www.governor.virginia.gov/newsroom/news-releases/2026/may-releases/name-1118109-en.html
  39. ↑ No cannabis retail tax has ever taken effect in Virginia; direction is unchanged https://www.governor.virginia.gov/newsroom/news-releases/2026/may-releases/name-1118109-en.html
  40. ↑ [SECONDARY] The Marijuana Herald (Apr 2026), reporting Virginia CCA Data Dashboard data — Q1 2026 average flower price $10.19/gram; $10.19 x 28.35 g/oz = $289/oz (medical market). Underlying CCA Data Dashboard is Tableau-walled (in-browser view required). ; https://cca.virginia.gov/datadashboard https://themarijuanaherald.com/2026/04/virginia-medical-cannabis-sales-top-44-million-in-q1-2026/
  41. ↑ Virginia CCA 2025 Annual Report (RD974), p.8 — four operational pharmaceutical processors in FY25 https://rga.lis.virginia.gov/Published/2025/RD974/PDF
  42. ↑ [SECONDARY] CCA Data Dashboard readings via trade press — medical flower average rose from ~$9.54/g (Nov 2025) to ~$10.19/g (Q1 2026). ; https://cca.virginia.gov/datadashboard https://themarijuanaherald.com/2026/04/virginia-medical-cannabis-sales-top-44-million-in-q1-2026/
  43. ↑ Va. Code 2.2-2499.5 (Cannabis Equity Reinvestment Board), 2.2-2499.8 (Cannabis Equity Reinvestment Fund), and 4.1-1501 (Cannabis Equity Business Loan Fund) establish the equity framework; adult-use equity licensing never launched (no legal retail market). ; https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title4.1/chapter15/section4.1-1501/ https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title2.2/chapter24/section2.2-2499.8/
  44. ↑ Va. Code 2.2-2499.5/2.2-2499.8 (Reinvestment Board + Fund: community reinvestment, scholarships, workforce/reentry grants, indigent defense), 4.1-1501 (Equity Business Loan Fund), 19.2-392.6:1 (automatic record sealing), and HB26/SB62 (automatic resentencing, signed May 14 2026) https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title2.2/chapter24/section2.2-2499.8/
  45. ↑ Va. Code 2.2-2499.8 (Cannabis Equity Reinvestment Fund) and 4.1-1501 (Virginia Cannabis Equity Business Loan Fund) — both special nonreverting funds in the state treasury https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title2.2/chapter24/section2.2-2499.8/
  46. ↑ Va. Code 19.2-392.6:1 — sealing of records for former marijuana-possession offenses (former 18.2-250.1) https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title19.2/chapter23.2/section19.2-392.6:1/
  47. ↑ Va. Code 19.2-392.6:1 — sealing of former marijuana-possession records occurs 'without the entry of a court order' (automatic); effective July 1, 2026 (Virginia State Police list transmission begins Oct 1, 2026) https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title19.2/chapter23.2/section19.2-392.6:1/
  48. ↑ Virginia CCA 2025 Annual Report (RD974), p.22 — '$6.2 million budget for fiscal year 2025' (FY25 expenditures $4.8 million) https://rga.lis.virginia.gov/Published/2025/RD974/PDF
  49. ↑ Virginia CCA 2025 Annual Report (RD974), p.4 — began FY25 with 26 full-time and 2 part-time employees, concluded FY25 with 25 full-time employees https://rga.lis.virginia.gov/Published/2025/RD974/PDF
  50. ↑ 3VAC10-60-20(C) — botanical cannabis products must be tested across 8 required categories: microbiological contaminants, mycotoxins, heavy metals, pesticide chemical residue, water activity, moisture content, active-ingredient/cannabinoid analysis, and terpenes profile (oil products: 7 categories) https://law.lis.virginia.gov/admincode/title3/agency10/chapter60/section20/
  51. ↑ Va. Code 4.1-1101 — tiered scheme; cultivation of more than 100 plants is a felony punishable by 1-10 years and/or a fine up to $250,000 https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title4.1/chapter11/section4.1-1101/
  52. ↑ Va. Code 18.2-248.1 — distribution of more than 5 lbs is a felony, 5-30 years; third/subsequent felony = 5 years to life with 5-year mandatory minimum https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title18.2/chapter7/section18.2-248.1/
  53. ↑ Va. Code 4.1-1100 — possession of more than 1 lb (453.6 g) is a felony (1-10 years). (Distribution of more than 1 oz is separately a Class 5 felony under 18.2-248.1 — see _notes.) https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title4.1/chapter11/section4.1-1100/
  54. ↑ Va. Code 4.1-1100 — the 1 lb felony threshold is keyed to possession https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title4.1/chapter11/section4.1-1100/
  55. ↑ Va. Code 4.1-1100(B)-(C) — possession over 1 oz = up to $25 civil penalty (no statutory 4 oz cap on the civil penalty; criminal bands begin above 4 oz); >4 oz-1 lb = Class 3 misdemeanor (Class 2 on second offense); >1 lb = felony (1-10 years, up to $250,000) https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title4.1/chapter11/section4.1-1100/
  56. ↑ Va. Code 4.1-1108 — public consumption: first offense up to $25 civil; second $25 + education/treatment; third+ Class 4 misdemeanor https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title4.1/chapter11/section4.1-1108/
  57. ↑ Va. Code 18.2-266 — Virginia uses an impairment standard for marijuana DUI; per se blood-concentration limits exist only for cocaine/methamphetamine/PCP/MDMA, not THC. No zero-tolerance THC rule https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title18.2/chapter7/section18.2-266/
  58. ↑ No cannabis penalty has been enacted upward since July 1, 2021. The 2026 proposal to make transporting 50+ lbs a Class 2 felony (20 years to life) was in the HB642 governor's substitute, was rejected by the Senate, and died with the May 19, 2026 veto https://www.governor.virginia.gov/newsroom/news-releases/2026/may-releases/name-1118109-en.html
  59. ↑ Va. Code 18.2-250.1 (simple-possession crime) was repealed effective July 1, 2021; possession penalties are now civil/lighter (4.1-1100) https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title18.2/chapter7/section18.2-250.1/
  60. ↑ Va. Code 18.2-250.1 repealed July 1, 2021; <=1 oz public possession lawful and 1-4 oz now a $25 civil penalty (4.1-1100). No upward penalty change enacted since 2021; proposed harsher 2026 transport felony was vetoed https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title4.1/chapter11/section4.1-1100/
  61. ↑ Virginia DCJS, 'Virginia Index Crime and Drug Arrest Trends 2015-2024' — 1,462 marijuana arrests in CY2024 (down from 26,530 in 2019, pre-legalization) https://www.dcjs.virginia.gov/sites/dcjs.virginia.gov/files/publications/research/virginia-crime-and-drug-arrest-trends-2015-2024.pdf
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