HB1455 It is imperative that this bill be passed. Too many people are dieing because of this illicit drug. Our future voters/leaders are being slaughtered by the makers and distributers of this drug. By any definition the making/distribution of this drug is a blantent act of domestic terrorism and should be dealt with accordingly. The only way to get this terrible drug epidemic stopped is to severely punish those that are manufacturing/ distributing this horrible, murderous drug. Please send a message to those that are manufacturing / distributing this horrible drug, that thier actions will not be tolerated. That society as a whole can not condone their actions. Please vote to move this bill forward..our children are suffering, with out your help many will not make it to adulthood. HB 1923 I don't understand how a minor has the mental capacity to refuse inpatient treatment for mental health issues. Is it not a parents/adult job to make decisions on behalf of minors? Minors can not vote, serve in the military or run for political office because we have determined that they do not have the mental capacity to do these things, yet they are allowed to determine whether they need to be admitted to an inpatient mental health facility. How is it that the current law gives a minor these rights and stripes the power away from the parents. As their parents it is our job to insure their future. Please give us the tools we need to do our job to the best of our ability. Move this bill forward, give our children the opportunity to become our future leaders. Thank you

There have too many lives, and especially young lives, lost To this dangerous illicit weapon of mass destruction these drug dealers are hiding in other drugs. Fentanyl. It is heart breaking, and infuriating all at the same time. We have to hold the ones distributing, making, and selling accountable for this crime. It is a poisoning by any rights of the definition of that word. Poisoning is a crime and is murder. Dealing drugs is a crime and harsher laws and punishments need to be in place for this. We are three days away from the one year angelversarey of my niece, Makayla Cox. Poisoned with a fake Percocet pill. Disguised to look as such. Was nothing of the sort, pure Fentanyl. 01/06/07-01/22/22 Let’s bring justice to the people who did this.

I lost my 23yo daughter Kaitlyn to Fentanyl poisoning 1-15-21. There needs to be changes in order to hold those responsible for these deaths. Detectives did very little in investigating into who gave her / sold her the Fentanyl. They had her cellphone and simply asked us if we knew the password. Case closed a few days after her death. Why? She left behind 2 very precious and confused little girls that miss their mother terribly and are now at ages 5 & 6 in therapy.

Comments Document

An average of 300 people die a day due to illicit fentanyl. Illicit fentanyl is being laced in all drugs, and the users of these drugs are unaware that they are ingesting something other than what they purchased. It takes as little as 2ng’s of illicit fentanyl to kill a person. The number of deaths due to illicit fentanyl is astronomically increasing each year. Those who are supplying, giving, distributing these drugs that have been poisoned must be held accountable for the deaths they are causing. If someone ingesting any other illicit drug that did not contain illicit fentanyl, they would have the chance to obtain help and hopefully recover. Bower, with illicit fentanyl there is no chance for this, as many are dying, teens who are experiments, first time users, etc. before they even have the chance to get help! My daughter, Makayla Cox, died from a pill she thought was Percocet, and was pure fentanyl, just 2 shorts weeks after turning 16, on Jan 22, 2022.

We respectfully ask you vote no on HB1922, HB1973 & HB2294 HB1973 & HB2294: No one in the hemp industry is opposed labeling, testing or packaging of products. We have met every new regulation in labeling and packaging as they have been introduced. In fact we welcome stricter regulations on labeling, testing & packaging as we believe it helps weed out bad actors. But both of these bills have a 2mg per package limit for ANY THC (even naturally occurring D9). The current limit of quantitation (LOQ) for modern testing is 0.01% or 0.1mg/g. That means that in a 20g or smaller package, detecting ANY THC would make the product marijuana. The purpose of these limits is to only allow hemp products that contain zero naturally occurring THC (even non-intoxicating levels). These mg caps will absolutely end every hemp retailer, processor, and farmer in Virginia. 1000s of living wage jobs will be lost. Millions of dollars in infrastructure will be auctioned off to neighboring states. Most Va hemp processors and retailers are not selling intoxicating products, even though their products contain low levels of THC (0.3%). NON-intoxicating hemp products with low levels of THC will still be widely available from out of state via the internet, but Virginia small business will not be able to participate in the federally legal marketplace. The requirement of bittering agents in topicals is yet another blow to small hemp businesses. No one is going to buy topicals with unnecessary additives that are specifically made to be unpalatable. This will spell the literal end to all hemp topical manufacturing in Virginia. But, consumers will still be able to buy non-bittered topicals from out of state via the internet. Again, Virginia small business will not be able to participate in the federally legal marketplace. On HB1922: Delta 8 THC is found naturally in Hemp biomass in small concentrations. This bill would make all Hemp and hemp products with small concentrations of naturally occurring Delta 8 THC illegal. Would the Hemp industry be forced to find cultivars that have non-detect concentrations of Delta 8 THC? This bill creates a number of legal question and problems for VCDACS and other stake holders. For this bill to not have unintended consequences it must call out an allowable percentage to include what's found naturally in hemp plants and products (<0.3%).
 There are a number of hemp derived, (federally legal) psychoactive chemicals that are not Delta 8 THC. This bill would have zero effect on the proliferation of these widely available chemicals. This bill would not have the intended effect of reducing psychoactive access or harm.

Comments Document

I echo Griffith: Please vote NO to the following bills: HB 1973, HB 2294, and HB 1922. These bills would put thousands of Virginia hemp businesses out of business overnight when we have been operating by the law for the last 5 years. If the objective is truly consumer safety, then establish moderate regulations that legitimate Virginia owned companies can comply with. Consumers are already used to buying these products on retail shelves in Virginia, and by criminalizing the sale of these products in the state will only force consumers to the black market or the unregulated online market. The best way to control the market is to moderately regulate it in a way that does not exacerbate black market sales, and also does not put thousands of Virginia owned businesses out of business. We all want consumer & child safety, and the only way to do that is by regulating the recreational market. Prohibition is never the answer, and by voting yes to any of these bills, you will be a direct contributor to the issue you are trying to resolve. Please consider this as well as the thousands of families whose sources of income and their life’s work will be ruined by passing these destructive bills. We are real people and we are asking you respectfully to vote no on HB1973, HB2294 & HB1922

This is an outrageously egregious bill that would attempt to put the entire hemp industry in Virginia out of business for the benefit of the medical cannabis monopolies. A $1000 annual retail sales license PER LOCATION for products whose competitors are bought on Amazon does nothing but punish Virginia farmers for attempting to do business in Virginia. There are hundreds of small businesses in Virginia who do less than $2000 in gross annual sales of hemp and cbd products, but make up large portions of small Virginia hemp farmers' businesses. These people would immediately be forced to stop selling locally produced and VDACS regulated cbd products. Perhaps that is what the medical cannabis monopolies wanted when they donated $3500 to Del. Leftwich last year, per VPAP.org. A $10,000/day civil fine for not having said sales licese is a violation of the 8th Amendment, and a Class 1 Misdemeanor/day for not having said sales license is an outrageous money grab and extortion attempt against Virginia business owners. VDACS and Virginia have an agreement with USDA regarding the Farm Bill & Industrial Hemp and federally protected hemp products like CBD, and this bill would absolutely violate that agreement. Forcing product manufacturers to put ALL cannabinoids on the label is a scientific impossibility as more are discovered every day. Additionally, the testing costs once protocols were discovered for the new cannabinoids would be entirely cost prohibitive. Product labels would be out of date the moment they were printed. VDACS ALREADY has testing standards in place for the cannabinoids that are advertised on a product. Those are working just fine. If a product doesnt have those, then go after them. All this bill will do is destroy small businesses, push millions of dollars in business out of the state, and force people to get the same cbd products online, out of state, that they were getting from their trusted local farmers at their trusted local store, manufactured under VDACS quite capable current standards. This bill is an unethical power and money grab by deep pocketed out of state interests and needs to die.

Greetings Delegates, The selected biils are Detrimental to the small farmers and retailers in the state of Virginia. As a member of the Virginia Hemp Coalition I ask that you vote no on these bills. Also add the Social Equity back to all of the cannabis legislation. Thanks for keeping Virginia first!!!! Sincerely, William Hill New Century Farmers Group

I sent the committee an email about this early this morning.

I oppose bills that restrict the re-emerging hemp wellness industry in favor of state-controlled medical / recreational cannabis industry. Bill's before this committee will allow the the government to choose out of state corporations as winners, at the expense of registered and federally compliant small hemp businesses. There is space in Virginia for industrial hemp, hemp extracts for wellness, and cannabis for medicine and recreation to coexist in Virginia. That space should allow small, medium, and large growers, producers, testers, and manufacturers to enter, without exorbitant entry and maintenance fees. Bad actors should be held accountable for irresponsibility marketed products, however, a whole legal hemp industry should not be criminalized and punished. There should not be new criminal penalties for hemp or cannabis products. There are current laws in place to deal with unscrupulous products. We should be researching and studying hemp and cannabis as alternatives to pharmaceuticals, educating, marketing and building safe access to hemp and cannabis products. We should include many Virginian workers and small businesses and create tax revenue for our Commonwealth.

Please vote NO to the following bills: HB 1973, HB 2294, and HB 1922. These bills would put thousands of Virginia hemp businesses out of business overnight when we have been operating by the law for the last 5 years. If the objective is truly consumer safety, then establish moderate regulations that legitimate Virginia owned companies can comply with. Consumers are already used to buying these products on retail shelves in Virginia, and by criminalizing the sale of these products in the state will only force consumers to the black market or the unregulated online market. The best way to control the market is to moderately regulate it in a way that does not exacerbate black market sales, and also does not put thousands of Virginia owned businesses out of business. We all want consumer & child safety, and the only way to do that is by regulating the recreational market. Prohibition is never the answer, and by voting yes to any of these bills, you will be a direct contributor to the issue you are trying to resolve. Please consider this as well as the thousands of families whose sources of income and their life’s work will be ruined by passing these destructive bills. We are real people and we are asking you respectfully to vote no on HB1973, HB2294 & HB1922. Sincerely, Savana Griffith

We respectfully ask you vote no on HB1922, HB1973 & HB2294 HB1973 & HB2294: No one in the hemp industry is opposed labeling, testing or packaging of products. We have met every new regulation in labeling and packaging as they have been introduced. In fact we welcome stricter regulations on labeling, testing & packaging as we believe it helps weed out bad actors. But both of these bills have a 2mg per package limit for ANY THC (even naturally occurring D9). The current limit of quantitation (LOQ) for modern testing is 0.01% or 0.1mg/g. That means that in a 20g or smaller package, detecting ANY THC would make the product marijuana. The purpose of these limits is to only allow hemp products that contain zero naturally occurring THC (even non-intoxicating levels). These mg caps will absolutely end every hemp retailer, processor, and farmer in Virginia. 1000s of living wage jobs will be lost. Millions of dollars in infrastructure will be auctioned off to neighboring states. Most Va hemp processors and retailers are not selling intoxicating products, even though their products contain low levels of THC (0.3%). NON-intoxicating hemp products with low levels of THC will still be widely available from out of state via the internet, but Virginia small business will not be able to participate in the federally legal marketplace. The requirement of bittering agents in topicals is yet another blow to small hemp businesses. No one is going to buy topicals with unnecessary additives that are specifically made to be unpalatable. This will spell the literal end to all hemp topical manufacturing in Virginia. But, consumers will still be able to buy non-bittered topicals from out of state via the internet. Again, Virginia small business will not be able to participate in the federally legal marketplace. On HB1922: Delta 8 THC is found naturally in Hemp biomass in small concentrations. This bill would make all Hemp and hemp products with small concentrations of naturally occurring Delta 8 THC illegal. Would the Hemp industry be forced to find cultivars that have non-detect concentrations of Delta 8 THC? This bill creates a number of legal question and problems for VCDACS and other stake holders. For this bill to not have unintended consequences it must call out an allowable percentage to include what's found naturally in hemp plants and products (<0.3%).
 There are a number of hemp derived, (federally legal) psychoactive chemicals that are not Delta 8 THC. This bill would have zero effect on the proliferation of these widely available chemicals. This bill would not have the intended effect of reducing psychoactive access or harm.

As a scientist concerned about quality assurance testing for products in the Commonwealth, I have reviewed HB2294. It is my opinion, from an informed position regarding quality testing and in having spoken with other stakeholders in patient and consumer safety, HB2294 has the strong language to protect consumers from poorly made, contaminated, and adulterated products.

Comments Document

I echo Griffith: Please vote NO to the following bills: HB 1973, HB 2294, and HB 1922. These bills would put thousands of Virginia hemp businesses out of business overnight when we have been operating by the law for the last 5 years. If the objective is truly consumer safety, then establish moderate regulations that legitimate Virginia owned companies can comply with. Consumers are already used to buying these products on retail shelves in Virginia, and by criminalizing the sale of these products in the state will only force consumers to the black market or the unregulated online market. The best way to control the market is to moderately regulate it in a way that does not exacerbate black market sales, and also does not put thousands of Virginia owned businesses out of business. We all want consumer & child safety, and the only way to do that is by regulating the recreational market. Prohibition is never the answer, and by voting yes to any of these bills, you will be a direct contributor to the issue you are trying to resolve. Please consider this as well as the thousands of families whose sources of income and their life’s work will be ruined by passing these destructive bills. We are real people and we are asking you respectfully to vote no on HB1973, HB2294 & HB1922

This is a ridiculous bill that both violates federal standards for federally protect CBD products via the 2018 Farm Bill, and violates the basic tenants of math and science. I'm certain that the $26,500 that Delegate Kilgore took in last year per VPAP.org from the medical cannabis monopolies had nothing to do with the fact that these medical cannabis monopolies stand to become the only places in the state where people could buy products in person that are federally legal in every other state. For starters, the federal threshold for CBD products is 0.3% THC. It is not 1mg per 100 grams of of product weight. That is 0.0001% THC. The 2 cannot coexist in the same bill because math exists and 0.0001% is not equal to 0.3%. This bill outlaw the most basic of cbd products - cbd oil. Any full spectrum extract cbd oil will contain trace amounts of THC. For example, a 500mg bottle of cbd oil that contains 0.05% THC is 6x below the federal limit, but at 15.9mg in total thc in the bottle, is still 16x over the entirely ridiculous limit in this bill. The portion of the bill requiring bittering agents in non-edible cbd products is both scientifically ridiculous and practically absurd. No one is eating cbd soap, lotion, salve, or bathbombs. However, given that most cbd products are formulated to be as natural as possible, forcing manufacturers and farmers to add additional chemical compounds to these products both ruins these products, and potentially harms the consumer. What happens if an alcoholic buys a non-edible product that has ethanol in it as a bittering agent? What happens if a bittering agent triggers a skin reaction on someone with sensitive skin or a skin condition (which is a sizeable portion of people buying cbd products)? The end result of this is that even more businesses in Delegate Kilgore's district will slide across the border to North Carolina, Tennessee, and Kentucky - just like many already have. In short, this bill - while violating federal law and the 2018 Farm Bill provisions - will simply cement that far from helping Delegate Kilgores region regain an economic footing so desperately needed, he has instead presided over their long, slow, altogether avoidable, slide towards economic destruction and abject poverty. This bill needs to die.

Greetings Delegates, The selected biils are Detrimental to the small farmers and retailers in the state of Virginia. As a member of the Virginia Hemp Coalition I ask that you vote no on these bills. Also add the Social Equity back to all of the cannabis legislation. Thanks for keeping Virginia first!!!! Sincerely, William Hill New Century Farmers Group

With reading this proposed bill, I am confused about the inclusion of a bittering agent in non-consumable hemp products. I have created and am pushing to market hemp fire starter, fire logs, etc, which utilized all parts of the left over materials from the plant, leaving zero waste. All parts are used. You can view this product on my website www.crystalhillcannabis.com But in this proposed bill, it states that a bittering agent will need to be added to any non-consumable hemp product. Does this include my product? Does this include the exploding building industry that is utilizing parts of the plant. Does this include pet bedding made from the plant. I find the inclusion of a bittering agent in any non-consumable hemp product to be overboard and lubricous.

I oppose bills that restrict the re-emerging hemp wellness industry in favor of state-controlled medical / recreational cannabis industry. Bill's before this committee will allow the the government to choose out of state corporations as winners, at the expense of registered and federally compliant small hemp businesses. There is space in Virginia for industrial hemp, hemp extracts for wellness, and cannabis for medicine and recreation to coexist in Virginia. That space should allow small, medium, and large growers, producers, testers, and manufacturers to enter, without exorbitant entry and maintenance fees. Bad actors should be held accountable for irresponsibility marketed products, however, a whole legal hemp industry should not be criminalized and punished. There should not be new criminal penalties for hemp or cannabis products. There are current laws in place to deal with unscrupulous products. We should be researching and studying hemp and cannabis as alternatives to pharmaceuticals, educating, marketing and building safe access to hemp and cannabis products. We should include many Virginian workers and small businesses and create tax revenue for our Commonwealth.

Please vote NO to the following bills: HB 1973, HB 2294, and HB 1922. These bills would put thousands of Virginia hemp businesses out of business overnight when we have been operating by the law for the last 5 years. If the objective is truly consumer safety, then establish moderate regulations that legitimate Virginia owned companies can comply with. Consumers are already used to buying these products on retail shelves in Virginia, and by criminalizing the sale of these products in the state will only force consumers to the black market or the unregulated online market. The best way to control the market is to moderately regulate it in a way that does not exacerbate black market sales, and also does not put thousands of Virginia owned businesses out of business. We all want consumer & child safety, and the only way to do that is by regulating the recreational market. Prohibition is never the answer, and by voting yes to any of these bills, you will be a direct contributor to the issue you are trying to resolve. Please consider this as well as the thousands of families whose sources of income and their life’s work will be ruined by passing these destructive bills. We are real people and we are asking you respectfully to vote no on HB1973, HB2294 & HB1922. Sincerely, Savana Griffith

Dear Delegates, As I sit here thinking of all the genetic illness’s I suffer with. I can not help to wonder why you would not make this medicine available to people who suffer. My background was in the medical field, now disabled due to Ehlers Danlos syndrome (genetic disorder never goes away) and almost all of its comorbidities! Look it up it’s living with extreme flu symptoms everyday on top of the rest and your collagen being like faulty bubble gum. You wake up with bruises just because it’s part of the disease migraines and nausea .Which I am now limited to treatment options as well as pain management and am allergic to most meds I have adverse reactions due to my genetic illnesses. As well I have seizures, tremors, CPTSD from severe trauma and all forms of abuse. Cervical spondylosis, Rheumatoid arthritis, Dysautonomia, Postural Orthostatic tachycardia and bradycardia when my body decides to throw a fit. Also sleeping with all these conditions is almost impossible and I wish it in no one. But I do wish we could find the good in this! Revenue for Va, roads and school systems , small businesses, People not suffering more than necessary “ let’s be humane”, how about our Emergency response crews who deal with trauma everyday and need to sleep/ mental break, let’s end prohibition on cannabis. It’s not fair alcohol is the one that makes people violent, abusive and kill. I grew up in that legal drinking home of abuse. As a person of 46 years of age this is the only option for relief. Why should we be penalized by doctors or jobs? They don’t alcohol test first if they did, most wouldn’t be treated like cannabis users. My daughter was having major surgeries in Colorado this year for our genetic illness. A surgeon walked out and came to talk to the family beside me. His advice to the family was get him some Strongest medicinal marijuana and yes he emphasized it. Best Regards, Linda Ludin

Any bill that supports the retail market through the medical cannabis providers will further weaken the current quality and quantity of the medical cannabis offerings. Patients wait as much as 12 weeks for the medical cannabis product that was discussed with their practitioner and has provided the benefit that they need. The focus of the medical cannabis producers has pivoted from medical patient care to that of recreational, which is evidence by the accompanying lines of products they carry. The key comment I have heard from patients is that they are uncomfortable in the dispensaries as they carry lighters, other smoking devices and it seems less medical and more recreational. The medical dispensaries need to do a much better job focusing on what they were licensed to do. Have a continual supply of products that benefit and work for the patients and cease catering to the recreational user who received their medical certificate through a 1-800 number or a Groupon for $69.00. People are hurting because the medical processors want to be in the recreational field, and treat the medical process and the patients with disregard.

Comments Document

The Commonwealth of Virginia has a rich and storied history in the cultivation and use of cannabis and hemp. As early as the 1700s, Virginia farmers were growing hemp for textile production, making it a vital component of the state's economy. In 1979, Virginia became the first state in the union to recognize the medical potential of cannabis, a discovery that would change the course of history for patients and healthcare providers alike. As we move forward, it is imperative that we build on this legacy and create a cannabis industry that is inclusive, equitable, and sustainable. This legislation is a commitment to the people of Virginia to create a cannabis industry that benefits all, and to make Virginia a leader in the national conversation on cannabis legalization and regulation.

I'm glad that we've come this far as a state but do not dwindle it away by giving a monopoly to cresco and col-care. What happened to creating jobs for Virginians? Not these multi-state multi billion dollar companies who only care for quantity at the expense of quality leaving people at risk for consuming pesticide. Cresco already has allegations in other states with poor quality control with no oversight. What happened to both parties caring about the individual? The working class? Instead Virginians have no voice in Virginia only those with deep pockets... Let Virginia be about Virginians.

In 2021, the Commonwealth of Virginia legalized marijuana. Since then the commonwealth has been in grey area wrt marijuana. The delaying the sale for adult use does not stop the use. Allowing legal sales quickly so the product sold is safe and only sold to adults is the priority of the commonwealth. Today Cresco operates a majority of the medical storefronts the the proposed bills will only increase Cresco's gripe on the market. The spirit of legalization was to help people of color run legal adult use establishments, not create a monopoly for Cresco under the direction of Virginia's NORML chapter. Please allow non multi-state to open establishments to receive licenses and open before Cresco and others multi-state companies to open more (they run all the medical dispensaries) establishments.