ALEXANDRIA, Va. (WRIC) — A group of hemp businesses and a Virginia resident have filed a lawsuit that would prevent the state’s enforcement of a new Virginia law regarding products that contain higher amounts of THC — or tetrahydrocannabinol, the psychoactive component in cannabis that causes a high.
The new law — signed on April 12 by Governor Glenn Youngkin — banned hemp products with more than two milligrams of THC. Youngkin’s administration said the enforcement was part of his efforts to crack down on synthetic products like delta-8 THC, which went into effect on July 1.
The requested order filed by the businesses — including Northern Virginia Hemp and Agriculture LLC and Franny’s Operations Inc. — and Virginia resident, Rose Lane, was denied by a federal judge in Alexandria.
In the lawsuit, Northern Virginia Hemp and Agriculture LLC and Franny’s Operations Inc. allege that the law has negatively impacted their businesses, “preventing them from shipping and transporting hemp products through Virginia.”
Lane — a Virginia resident who uses hemp products to mitigate her arthritis symptoms — alleges she is not able to obtain delta-8 products.
Despite the complaints from the businesses and resident, the initial opinion held that the restrictions within the new law will remain for now, although the lawsuit has not yet concluded.
This comes after some Virginia businesses received large fines for violating the state’s new law, including an initial fine of $74,250 that Smoker’s World received in Henrico County for multiple violations — which was later reduced to $10,000 after the removal of products in violation of the law.
