Virginia hemp product retailers slapped with fines under new law

Virginia authorities are cracking down on stores selling unauthorized hemp-derived products under a new law and handing out significant fines in the enforcement push.

The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) had issued five noncompliance letters to businesses as of late July, with fines ranging from $13,000 to $97,500, the Virginia Mercury reported.

The fines could be reduced to $10,000 if business owners “agree to bring their stores into compliance and meet other conditions,” according to the newspaper.

The store that faced the largest fine reportedly sold some hemp products containing more than the 0.3% legal limit of THC and others that contained synthetic THC as well as goods that looked like mainstream snacks.

Future violations of the same rules will lead to increased penalties, the VDACS warned.

All the fined businesses failed to submit required paperwork disclosing the sale of edible hemp products.

Virginia’s new law regulating hemp-derived products, which took effect July 1, established rules including:

• A 0.3% limit on THC in hemp products.
• Limits on the total amount of THC per package, dependent on CBD content.
• A requirement for hemp product manufacturers and sellers to submit disclosure forms.
• Child-resistant packaging rules for THC-containing products.
• Labeling requirements.

Although medical marijuana is legal in Virginia, Gov. Glenn Youngkin recently made clear that adult-use marijuana legalization won’t take place during his time in office.

Source: https://mjbizdaily.com/virginia-hemp-product-retailers-slapped-with-fines-under-new-law/