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Barren shelves are greeting customers at a local hemp shop in Virginia Beach.
“Right now the shop is super empty,” said Savana Griffith, owner of The Hemp Spectrum. “We have about five vendors left on our shelves.”
Griffith used to stock a wide range of items, including teas, salves, oils and edibles. But she said many of the products her store sells became illegal earlier this month when a new state law tightening regulations on the hemp industry took effect.
“We’re looking really hard for new compliant products to bring in,” she said, adding she also opened a distribution center in North Carolina. “We will see how our customers respond.”
The new regulations created stricter rules for labels and packaging, and required cannabis products to contain at least a 25-to-1 ratio of CBD, or cannabidiol, to THC (the component in cannabis that can produce a high). It also established civil penalties of up to $10,000 for each day a violation occurs.
The new law was intended to end the so-called wild west days of the state’s fledgling hemp industry. Some cannabis consumers, manufacturers and shop owners, however, argue it’s only creating confusion for everyone involved. Now, some say the state’s recently stalled budget negotiations are making matters worse.
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