“Tobacco & Vape + CBD” shops are popping up in formerly empty retail spots everywhere in Virginia. As of September 1st, the state had registered 1,568 CBD retailers.
That’s not counting the one that opened its doors (but not selling product) in Nellysford on Sept. 12. The owner-operators here are said to have four similar shops in Waynesboro, where there are 13 of this type of shop. Charlottesville has 37, Crozet has three, according to state records.
Nellysford’s new “Tobacco & Vape + CBD” retail store is in the former furniture and interior decor shop next to Nest Reality, across the street from the shopping center.
CBD stands for cannabidiol, a chemical found in the resinous flower of cannabis. Harvard Medical School and the Mayo Clinic have some things to say about it, along with considerable cautions.
The rules for selling CBD products vary by state. In Virginia, the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services manages the regulations. In November, the state began requiring all CBD retailers to be registered. All registration information is public.
CBD are not new, but entrepreneurs across the state are opening more of these types of shops because they expect Virginia to soon follow the lead of 23 other states and legalize retail sales of cannabis (and tax it.)
But, as the Virginia Mercury reported last month, the issue is not decided, and there are many details to work out if cannabis sales are to be legal.
“For now, cannabis in the commonwealth remains in limbo: it’s legal to possess, illegal to buy,” the Virginia Mercury noted.
Some don’t like what’s legal now and would at least like to keep current laws more or less as they are.
“If we cannot manage or enforce the existing gray market, how do we expect to properly regulate a fully legal retail cannabis market? It is clear that any efforts to legalize recreational cannabis will only further burden our enforcement agencies while also endangering public health in the process,” Virginia House Member Wendall Walker of Lynchburg told Cardinal News.
Aaron Rouse, a Virginia Beach state senator, says deregulation is best for the public’s safety, saying, “It is essential to recognize that a regulated marijuana retail market is a necessity for public safety. A well-regulated market would ensure that products are tested for safety, accurately labeled, sold in a controlled environment, and kept out of the hands of kids.” -Charles Batchelor
The new shop offers products from Earth Kratom, which notes on its website, “This product contains Mitragyna Speciosa Leaf. Only for use as a botanical specimen. Mitragyna Speciosa is an unapproved dietary ingredient. The manufactures / re-sellers of this product, therefore, can not advise on its use. Ingesting Mitragyna Speciosa can be dangerous.” The US Drug Enforcement Agency website offers this April 2020 fact sheet on Kratom.
