Chelsea Higgs Wise

We are now criminalizing children for behavior that is no longer illegal for adults.

On January 1, 2027, only the five existing pharmaceutical processors, who already have flower curing in their vaults, could possibly be ready. Every independent cultivator licensed under the new framework will have barely broken ground.

Most alcohol regulators’ core mission is revenue generation and license enforcement. In stark contrast, agencies specifically created to regulate cannabis, versus alcohol regulators, are twice as likely to collaborate with public health agencies.

Virginia legislators are debating whether to charge existing medical cannabis operators a multimillion-dollar fee to convert to adult-use licenses. Critics call it excessive. It’s not.