Virginia Law

A. The Commissioner may charge a nonrefundable fee not to exceed $250 for any application for registration or renewal of registration allowed under this article. The Commissioner may charge a nonrefundable fee for the tetrahydrocannabinol testing allowed under this article. All fees collected by the Commissioner shall be deposited in the state treasury.

B. The Commissioner shall adopt regulations establishing a fee structure for a registration issued pursuant to § 3.2-4115. With the exception of § 2.2-4031, no provision of the Administrative Process Act (§ 2.2-4000 et seq.) or public participation guideline adopted pursuant thereto shall apply to the adoption of any regulation pursuant to this subsection. However, prior to adopting any regulation pursuant to this subsection, the Commissioner shall review the recommendation of an advisory panel that shall consider the economic impact of any proposed fee amount on the Commonwealth's industrial hemp industry. The advisory panel shall, at a minimum, include (i) an agribusiness representative or organization, (ii) a farming representative or organization, and (iii) a hemp industry representative or organization. Prior to adopting any regulation pursuant to this subsection, the Commissioner shall publish a notice of opportunity to comment in the Virginia Register of Regulations and post the action on the Virginia Regulatory Town Hall. Such notice shall contain (a) a summary of the proposed regulation; (b) the text of the proposed regulation; and (c) the name, address, and telephone number of the agency contact person responsible for receiving public comments. Such notice shall be made at least 60 days in advance of the last date prescribed in such notice of submittals of public comment. The legislative review provisions of subsections A and B of § 2.2-4014 shall apply to the promulgation or final adoption process of regulations pursuant to this subsection. The Commissioner shall consider and keep on file all public comments received for any regulation adopted pursuant to this subsection.

C. The Commissioner may establish an application period for a registration or renewal of registration allowed under this article.

D. The Commissioner shall notify the Superintendent of State Police of each registration issued by the Commissioner under this article and each license submitted to the Commissioner by a federally licensed hemp producer.

E. The Commissioner shall forward a copy or appropriate electronic record of each registration issued by the Commissioner under this article and each license submitted to the Commissioner by a federally licensed hemp producer to the chief law-enforcement officer of the county or city where industrial hemp will be grown, handled, or processed.

F. The Commissioner may monitor the industrial hemp grown, handled, or processed by a person registered pursuant to § 3.2-4115 and provide for random sampling and testing of the industrial hemp in accordance with any criteria established by the Commissioner and at the cost of the grower, handler, or processor, for compliance with tetrahydrocannabinol limits and for other appropriate purposes established pursuant to § 3.2-4114. In addition to any routine inspection and sampling, the Commissioner may inspect and sample the industrial hemp at any production field, handler's storage site, or process site during normal business hours without advance notice if he has reason to believe a violation of this article is occurring or has occurred.

G. The Commissioner may require a grower, handler, or processor to destroy, at the cost of the grower, handler, or processor and in a manner approved of and verified by the Commissioner, any Cannabis sativa that the grower grows, the handler handles, or the processor processes that has been tested and is found to have a concentration of tetrahydrocannabinol that is greater than that allowed by federal law, or any Cannabis sativa product that the processor produces.

H. Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection G, if the provisions of subdivisions 1 and 2 are included in a plan that (i) is submitted by the Department pursuant to § 10113 of the federal Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018, P.L. 115-334, (ii) requires the Department to monitor and regulate the production of industrial hemp in the Commonwealth, and (iii) is approved by the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture:

1. The Commissioner may require a grower, handler, or processor to destroy, at the cost of the grower, handler, or processor and in a manner approved of and verified by the Commissioner, any Cannabis sativa that the grower grows, the handler handles, or the processor processes that has been tested and is found to have a concentration of tetrahydrocannabinol that is greater than 0.6 percent.

2. If such a test of Cannabis sativa indicates a concentration of tetrahydrocannabinol that is greater than 0.6 percent but less than one percent, the Commissioner shall allow the grower, handler, or processor to request that the Cannabis sativa be sampled and tested again before he requires its destruction.

I. The Commissioner shall advise the Superintendent of State Police or the chief law-enforcement officer of the appropriate county or city when, with a culpable mental state greater than negligence, a grower grows, a handler handles, or a processor processes any Cannabis sativa with a concentration of tetrahydrocannabinol that is greater than that allowed by federal law or a processor produces a Cannabis sativa product.

J. The Commissioner may pursue any permits or waivers from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration or appropriate federal agency that he determines to be necessary for the advancement of the industrial hemp industry.

K. The Commissioner may establish a corrective action plan to address a negligent violation of any provision of this article.

2018, cc. 689, 690; 2019, cc. 653, 654; 2021, Sp. Sess. I, c. 110; 2023, cc. 744, 794.