July 1st could be the last day of business for thousands across the Commonwealth of Virginia as Governor Youngkin and his administration have decided to favor an out-of-state Marijuana Monopoly Cartel over Virginia farmers and small business owners.
With the stroke of a pen, Gov. Youngkin will decimate the federally legal hemp industry in Virginia.
Why you may ask? Well, Jushi Inc, Columbia Care, and GreenThumb toss hundreds of thousands around making it rain all over Youngkin's administration.
Clearly, the monopoly players aren't afraid to admit their cards either. In 2022, the Marijuana Cartel couldn't find their knockout punch, but here we are in 2023 with SB903, supported by the majority of our lawmakers and a Governor willing to knowingly create & expand monopolistic operations, while accepting donations in the face of destroying small businesses.
"We view Virginia as one of the best licenses in cannabis,' Jim Cacioppo, the CEO of Jushi told Forbes in November, citing the company's monopoly over sales in Northern Virginia. 'When you go adult use, sales could triple over night'
Important facts to note about SB903:
1) 2mg of total THC cap per package (this removes 90% of hemp derived products, ie; most dog treats will be illegal)
2) Industrial Hemp re-defined as Marijuana
3) $10,000 per day penalties with Jail Time potential
4) $2.2M in enforcement funds with 15 new Full Time Enforcement Positions
5) Topical Products are now required to have a bittering agent so that when someone decides to never eat the lotion, it will taste bad??? Or do they want us to burn our customer's skin? If we don't add the governments required ingredient, you are subject to $500 penalties per violation....Are you serious?
So here we are at the crossroads. Will Youngkin sign this terrible bill?
Or will he understand that $Billions of tax revenue is at stake, Farms, Retail Stores, Distributors, Livelihoods, and everything in between is at risk of being destroyed.
In the coming weeks, we will be updating everyone regularly and what you can do to help out our cause.
If you own a retail store, please print off the QR codes and ask that your customers spread the word.
If you are a customer, please understand that your products are in jeopardy.
This is not going to be a fun ride for anyone involved.
Let's unite together to fight the good fight and please call or email our Governor asking him to deny SB903 as it is currently written.
Gov. Youngkin's contact info can be found here Youngkin Contact Info
(804) 786-2211