What Floridians can learn about Virginia's ‘confusing' marijuana system ahead of Amendment 3 vote

When it comes to the Marijuana industry, like Florida, the Commonwealth of Virginia allows cannabis for medical use.

But Virginians are also allowed to grow their own plants and those in favor of legalizing recreational use for adults believe the Virginia system has created confusion.

NBC6 visited the Jushi cultivation, manufacturing and retail facility in Manassas, Virginia, about 30 miles west of Washington, D.C.

Before going inside the 6,000 square foot facility, visitors are required to wear to lab-type coats, hair nets, glasses and shoe coverings.

“So here is some flower that is going to be ready to be extracted,” said Jushi Chief Strategy Officer Trent Woloveck, who proudly showed the plant’s cultivation process.

In one room, he showed the oil for vape pens. In another, Woloveck showed how chewable products are mixed and made.

The facility is set up like a giant laboratory where science guides almost every phase of the cultivation and manufacturing process.

“We’re walking into the lifeblood of the facility,” Woloveck said as we entered the different rooms where the plant is grown.

 “We can control the environment. We can control the temperature. We can control the humidity,” he said. “We do any where between 400 to 500 pounds of product every week.”

Virginia is set up into five health service areas for their medical cannabis program.

But in 2021, Virginia also legalized possession and cultivation and the state allows adults to grow up to four plants at home.

 “In Virginia we’ve had a large gap between decriminalizing and implementation of a program. That’s cause a lot of confusion in the marketplace and quite frankly has allowed bad actors to become main stay in the state,” said Woloveck, who believes Virginia should have an adult recreational program in place.

“Our state is unlike any other in the union, it’s an absolute mess,” said Jason Blanchette, who heads the Virginia Cannabis Association and supports a recreational program.

 “This is not an partisan issue. This is we need to put a regulatory framework in place,” said Blanchette, who added without the black market will “reign supreme.”

The state legislature has tried to pass an adult recreational program.

State Senator Aaron Rouse, who represents the Virginia Beach area, was behind a bipartisan bill that allows for recreational use. 

“Without an adult retail market people are doing whatever they want,” he added.

His bill passed the Assembly, but Governor Glenn Youngkin vetoed it earlier this year.

 “You never drive out the black market but what you hope to attempt to do, you want to mitigate a lot of those concerns especially when it comes to untested, unsafe products,” Rouse said.

Youngkin cited several reasons for his veto including effects on law enforcement.

“The decriminalizing of marijuana possession has led to a tremendous amount of uncertainty and confusion particularly in law enforcement,” Youngkin said.

The governor also cited increases in gang activity and violence in states where the retail market has been legalized and argued the black market does not go away.

Cannabis, he said, is bad for the health and safety of Virginians.

Lawmakers, like Rouse, plan to re-introduce the same bill that would legalize recreational marijuana.

Youngkin is termed out, so proponents of the program are hopeful the bill will eventually become law under a new governor who is friendlier to the industry.