Virginia Cannabis Lawyer
Earlier this year, Virginia voted to legalize adult-use marijuana becoming the first southern state to do so. Under the newest legislation on the matter, home cultivation and personal possession will become legal as of July 2021, but retail sales will not begin until 2024.
In this sense, you won’t be seeing dispensaries right away, it will take a while before you are able to open one or acquire weed from them. The General Assembly still has a lot of work to do in order to establish the regulatory framework.
Virginia has four medical dispensaries, open for patients who are registered for medical use, but they can’t sell to all adults for the time being.
The Virginia Cannabis Control Authority is the entity that’s authorized to regulate every detail regarding cultivation, production and sale.
In this sense getting the right cannabis lawyer that knows the legislation, risks and trends associated with the industry is vital in order to ensure maximum success.
A cannabis lawyer must have expertise helping individuals navigate processes like civil litigation, transactional law, trademarks and -in general- business litigation.
So, if you want to get a Marijuana Business License in Virginia, here’s what you need to have in mind when hiring a Virginia cannabis lawyer.
For a quick assessment of your needs – let’s talk to discuss how Trusts can help your business.
What can a Virginia cannabis lawyer help you with?
A cannabis lawyer in Virginia can assist with business creation and launch, marketing and advertising, packaging and labeling, banking and funding, taxation, and patents and copyrights for new strains or products.
Licensing, on the other hand, is critical. Cannabis cultivators, extractors, dispensaries, processors, and distributors are just a few of the businesses that rely significantly on permits to operate.
As early as 1979 Virginia passed legislation allowing the recommendation of cannabis for glaucoma or the side effects of chemotherapy. Nevertheless, the medical cannabis law was non-functioning because of cannabis’ status as a Schedule I substance under the CSA.
It wasn’t until 2015 that an affirmative defense against a possession charge was created by signing HB 1445 and SB 1235, allowing the possession of CBD and THC-A oil to patients who have a doctor’s recommendation for those substances for the treatment of epilepsy.
Later, in September 2018, the Virginia State Board of Pharmacy approved the application for five companies to open medical cannabis dispensaries across the state.
Even though the market isn’t active yet, a November 2020 state-led report found that a mature adult-use market in Virginia could be worth $628 million to $1.2 million annually.
In order to get into the business you need to maneuver through the regulations successfully, and for that you need the experience of a cannabis lawyer.
Every step of creating a cannabis company involves considerable maneuvering, and licensing in such a strictly regulated industry makes an expert cannabis lawyer’s regulatory skills crucial.
Further, a Virginia cannabis lawyer can be of help with advertisement and applying for trademarks and patents, which is of major importance when you’re starting a business in order to establish your brand.
Further, you’d probably need a good cannabis business plan to go along with your license application.
What should you look for when hiring a Virginia cannabis lawyer?
It is critical to find proven experience in the industry while looking for a reputable cannabis attorney for your startup cannabis organization. Despite the fact that cannabis business attorneys are relatively new to the field, there are cannabis lawyers with expertise in the hemp and cannabis industries.
You should look for cannabis attorneys who are knowledgeable not only about the local and state laws, but also about federal law.
Furthermore, the best cannabis attorneys will be able to provide contacts and advice in the cannabis industry, as well as participate in lobbying and legislative activities.
This allows you and your company to remain current on cannabis, marijuana, and hemp developments, as well as changes in the law.
Cannabis licensing, regulatory enforcement, and administrative cases can all be handled by a cannabis lawyer.
They can also help with everything from company formation to mergers and acquisitions to risk management and dissolution.
So, in short, you should be wary of the attorney’s credentials and experience.
Make informed decisions to avoid costly errors: Collateral Base’s cannabis and CBD industry attorneys represent a wide range of clients in the marijuana and hemp sectors, as well as the CBD market. We continue to be involved in cannabis-related policy activity and continue to represent hemp and legal cannabis businesses.
For a quick assessment of your needs – let’s talk to discuss how Trusts can help your business.
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