Policy & Legislative Recommendations for 2025/2026

Summary: We at the VHC fundamentally believe that Cannabis Sativa, also called Hemp and Marijuana among other names, which consists of many different cultivars used by mankind as a resource for various beneficial end uses, is our right to cultivate, process, manufacture, and consume. This viewpoint is fundamental to our unwavering mission to bring this plant to its rightful place in society and end all the corrupt prohibition and games being played by various government powers at the Federal and State level. This does not mean we believe there should be no regulations, actually just the opposite. We recommend fair regulation of the various hemp and marijuana products in the marketplace, just like all other similar products. There are three categories in which we believe these products should fall into for regulations – industrial hemp products, dietary supplement/food products derived from hemp, and intoxicating cannabis products. This document will go into those three categories and discuss our policy and legislative recommendations for the future, taking into account public safety, economic opportunities, inherent rights, and public health. We believe that policy and regulations for these three categories are not complicated as many politicians and bureaucrats make it out to be. We don’t have to reinvent the wheel, as we have similar products in all three categories that provide guidelines. Our hemp/cannabis policy agenda is in alignment with the American way of free markets, personal responsibly, reasonable regulations, and an even playing field where the Government is not picking winners and losers. We live in the United States of America, not North Korea, where the State controls industry. Hemp/cannabis derived products should get the same respect as all other similar products in the American marketplace.

Industrial Hemp Policy: The growing, processing, and manufacturing with industrial Hemp should be treated like corn, sunflowers, soybeans, flax, and timber. A simple registration of the hemp field to be grown with GPS coordinates and the use of certified industrial hemp seed is all that is needed to regulate the growing of hemp in our communities. It’s important to understand that just because there are laws and regulations that allow for industrial hemp to be grown on a mass scale with little red tape does not mean that all laws regarding the production of intoxicating cannabis are null and void. In fact, we don’t need overbearing regulations and red tape for industrial hemp farmers and manufactures. This is because the laws on the production of intoxicating cannabis cultivars, which do not fall under the legal definition of industrial hemp, are a catch all for all public safety matters. We recommend an industrial hemp free market with grants, education, and full support from the USDA and the VDACS. Virginia can be the leader in the world for this valuable and versatile sustainable crop.

Food and Dietary Supplement Policy: The hemp flower can produce food and dietary supplements from the seed and cannabinoids found in the trichomes of the plant material. The seed provides extremely nutritious products like hemp hearts and hemp seed oil. Humans and livestock can greatly benefit from hemp’s powerful combination of proteins, healthy fats, amino acids, and minerals by adding hemp hearts, seed cake or seed oil to their diet. In addition, non-intoxicating cannabinoids are naturally occurring in hemp flower such as CBD, CBN, and CBG. Proponents of CBD oil and other cannabinoid products claim that it can be used to treat conditions such as chronic pain, inflammation, migraines, epilepsy, autoimmune diseases, depression, insomnia, and anxiety. Policy recommendations are again, simple for this lane of products as the seed and oils for food should be regulated like olive oil and sunflower seeds, and CBD and other non intoxicating cannabinoids should be regulated like other dietary supplements such as melatonin, turmeric, and fish oil. The USDA and the VDACS should fully support the hemp food and cannabinoid industry as it is supportive of the economy and good for the health of the population. CBD and other cannabinoid products should be tested for purity and contaminates, and that report should be available to consumers and regulatory agencies. All products should be properly labeled. There should be no age limit for these products as they are safe and effective (GRAS) for all ages.

Intoxicating Cannabinoids Policy: Short for tetrahydrocannabinol, THC is the component in cannabis responsible for the plant's psychoactive effects. When you feel "high" after using cannabis, that's because of THC. By attaching to cannabinoid receptors in the brain, THC activates neurons that influence pleasure, memory, thinking, coordination, and time perception. Research and anecdotal evidence indicate THC may be used to treat a wide range of medical conditions, and from a recreational standpoint, it can feel good, causing a sensation of euphoria and relaxation in some, while potentially increasing appetite. We live in a society where beer, wine and liquor are ubiquitous and in easy reach of children without child protective packaging. We look at the current regulation of beer, wine and tobacco for guidance on how we should be regulating THC derived products. Again, this isn’t “rocket science” and we do not need to reinvent the wheel when considering how to regulate these products consumers desire. We recommend regulating intoxicating cannabinoids much like beer and wine. The age limit should be 21 and over, and taxation should be in line with other products. All stores that stock these products should be licensed like the ABC does for alcohol, and the products themselves should be tested for purity and contaminates and be properly labeled. There should always be a free market like beer and wine, and the Government should never allow monopolies for these products as that only increases the sales of black market cannabis. Just like the Government promotes the beer and wine industry for the economy and taxation revenues, they should also promote the cannabis industry.