Virginia Cannabis Manufacturing License
There will be 60 Virginia Cannabis Manufacturing Licenses available when Adult-Use of marijuana becomes fully legal on January 1, 2024. Applications for Virginia Cannabis Manufacturing Licenses will begin accepting July 1, 2023, and since there are only 60 available, the state expects hundreds to thousands of applications. If you are interested in creating a cannabis edible brand and obtaining your license to manufacture cannabis in Virginia legally, read on!
What is a Virginia Marijuana Manufacturing License?
Any VA marijuana manufacturer who obtains a license will have the power to:
- Produce, label, and package marijuana and other related products.
- Obtain retail marijuana from a manufacturing facility or another marijuana production facility; and
- Give retail marijuana and retail marijuana goods in its possession. They may also sell them to marijuana wholesalers, retail marijuana shops, or other marijuana production facilities.
What Cannabis Products Can I Make with a Virginia Cannabis Manufacturing License?
Manufacturing marijuana products, as the legislation defines, could allow combining, infusing, compounding, or otherwise preparing marijuana and marijuana products. It also includes chemically synthesizing or extracting marijuana. The law distinguishes between cultivation and manufacturing. Hence, cultivators are restricted from growing the crop and manufacturing it into a marijuana product unless they have a manufacturing license as well as a cultivation license.
How to Get a Virginia Cannabis Manufacturing License
To obtain your Virginia Cannabis Manufacturing License, be sure to have your business entity set up. All your SOP’s need to be organized and in order. Your location must be appropriately zoned and use the correct equipment. Your business plan must be clear and concise, and your application must be flawless! If you’re one of the lucky 60 Virginia Manufacturing License holders, you must abide by strict distribution, transportation, record-keeping, security, and monitoring policies. Businesses that want to manufacture cannabis in Virginia must get the permits and insurance coverage they need to run legally and set themselves up for future growth.
If you need help figuring out where to start with this, Contact us! We’re a full-service cannabis licensing service.
Our services include: writing your business plan, conducting property searches to find you a properly zoned Virginia Manufacturing location, we provide SOP’s, and Virginia Cannabis Manufacturing license Application assistance. We’ll speak to the city/state on your behalf and make sure you’re set up for approval.
Contact us today to learn more.
Virginia Cannabis Manufacturing Licensing Limitations
The initial licenses will be distributed in the following categories, with their respective caps.
- Marijuana Manufacturing License, 60
- Virginia Cannabis Cultivator License (Grower) | 450 available
- Virginia Dispensary License | 400 available
- Virginia Wholesaler Cannabis License | 25 available
- Virginia Cannabis Laws
Current medical cannabis firms and hemp processors are exempt from these restrictions. With a cultivation permit, the licensee could grow, label, and package retail cannabis and distribute and sell it to wholesalers and other retail cannabis establishments. There are two different types of agricultural licenses available. Class B Permits allow plants to grow to contain no more than 1 percent THC. Class A licenses are constrained by the size or number of plants.
Virginia Social Equity Cannabis Manufacturing License Requirements
The Board will establish guidelines for attesting new licensees based on existing retail establishments in the neighborhood. Any harm to the community’s public health will also be considered. They will start the selection based on the following qualifications.
- Eligible candidates for social equity;
- Those who have prior cases of cannabis offenses or who have a close relative who committed such;
- Applicants who reside in areas with disproportionate cannabis arrests or who are experiencing financial hardship; and
- People who have graduated from a Historically Black College and University in Virginia.
To receive a Virginia Cannabis Manufacturing Social Equity License, a company must have at least 66 percent of its owners who either:
- Have experienced cannabis conviction;
- Have an immediate relative who has a cannabis conviction;
- Reside in an area that has been disproportionately affected by cannabis enforcement; or
- Have graduated from a Virginia Historically Black College and University. Starting July 1, 2023, until January 1, 2024, social equity candidates will receive prioritization and pay lower application fees.
The Cannabis Equity Reinvestment Fund
The Cannabis Equity Reinvestment Fund will provide the following benefits:
- funding for initiatives such as youth mentoring and reentry services;
- job training and placement, and
- zero to low-interest loans for social equity applicants
The Cannabis Equity Reinvestment Fund will receive 30 percent of the licensing fees and taxes collected.
Are you a Social Equity Applicant interested in obtaining your Virginia Cannabis Manufacturing License? Contact us.
Virginia Conditional Use Permits
Meanwhile, an applicant who receives conditional permission has one year from the date of notification to finish all requirements before a permit can be issued. It includes hiring a PIC and other people required for operation. The Board will award a pharmaceutical processor permit if the facility passes inspection. The owner will then have 180 days to start using it, after which the permit may be canceled.
Virginia Cannabis Manufacturing License Fees
The following amounts are required for a pharmaceutical processor permit application.
Application fee
$10,000
Initial Permit
$60,000
Renewal of permit per annum
$10,000
Full-Service Cannabis License Services
$15,000+
Change of name of the processor
$100
Change of PIC or any other information provided on the permit application
$100
Change of ownership not requiring a criminal background check
$100
Change of ownership requiring a criminal background check
$250
Any acquisition, expansion, remodel or change of location requiring an inspection
$1,000
Reinspection fee
$1,000
Registration of each cannabidiol oil or THC-A oil product
$25
Virginia Cannabis Info & Growth
Virginia is the 12th most populous state in the country. By 2022 and 2025, Virginia’s leisure sector will generate revenues of $400 million to $500 million and $1.2 billion to $1.4 billion, respectively.
Meanwhile, a five-member Board of Directors would make up the Virginia Cannabis Control Authority. The Directors would enforce rules, issue cannabis licenses, and regulate the production and retail sale of cannabis and associated cannabis products. The legislation establishes four classes of licensed operators:
- 400 Dispensary Retailers
- 25 Wholesaler
- 450 Cultivator
- 60 Product manufacturers
Current Cannabis laws in Virginia
- In Virginia, cannabis can be owned, used, and grown by those over 21. However, it is forbidden to buy it without a prescription that a doctor has approved.
- Adults who possess an ounce or more but less than a pound of marijuana will be subject to a $25 fine.
- Adults found possessing more than a pound of marijuana are charged with a felony, which carries a sentence of one to ten years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000.
- Virginia citizens won’t require a medical marijuana card to buy marijuana from retailers beginning in July 2022.
- Cannabis smoking is not permitted in public places.
- Cannabis seeds can be exchanged, but neither buying nor selling them is permitted under the law.
- Drivers and passengers cannot use or transport cannabis in vehicles in open or easily accessible containers.
- Only dispensaries affiliated with the state’s medical marijuana program can sell or buy cannabis-related products.
FAQ
- Will There Be A Limit To The Number of Cannabis Licenses Available in Virginia?
- Yes, there is a limitation. The initial licenses will be distributed in the following categories, with the ensuing caps.
- Marijuana cultivation facilities, 450
- Marijuana manufacturing facilities, 60
- Marijuana wholesalers, 25
- Retail marijuana stores, 400
- When Will The Virginia Licensing Application Period Open?
Prior to the beginning of retail cannabis sales, which are expected to start no sooner than January 1, 2024, the licensing application process is slated to open on July 1, 2023.
If you need help figuring out where to start with this, Contact us! We’re a full-service cannabis licensing service.