Virginia CBD program chided as multistate medical cannabis firms gain edge

Did you miss the webinar “Women Leaders in Cannabis: Shattering the Grass Ceiling?” Head to MJBiz YouTube to watch it now!


Seven companies are challenging a CBD licensing process in Virginia that resulted in multistate medical marijuana operators getting a majority of available licenses.

The appeals called the process “wildly prejudicial.”

Out of 51 applicants for five vertically integrated CBD and THCA licenses, multistate operators received three, a situation that spurred the appeals, The Virginian-Pilot reported.

Applicants filing the appeals complained the closed-meeting review process lacked fairness and transparency.

One consultant to an applicant said the selections felt “predetermined.”

The Virginia Board of Pharmacy reportedly sent information to the applicants in December explaining its selections, but some applicants weren’t satisfied.

A board spokeswoman wrote in an email to the Pilot that the board “does not comment on pending litigation.”

The five winning applicants, called “pharmaceutical processors,” have a year from winning the licenses to become operational.

The multistate operators that won three of the five licenses were New York-based Columbia Care, Illinois-headquartered PharmaCann and Green Leaf Medical, which is based in Maryland.