CSBA Media & Related Articles

​The following collection of media coverage, opinion pieces, interviews, and news reports documents the growing concerns surrounding Virginia's hemp industry as lawmakers advance adult-use cannabis legislation and new regulatory frameworks. Spanning from 2023 through June 2026, these articles highlight the perspectives of hemp farmers, retailers, consumers, industry advocates, and policymakers, while illustrating the potential economic and social impacts of proposed changes to Virginia's cannabis laws. Together, they provide a comprehensive overview of the challenges facing Virginia's hemp sector and the ongoing public debate surrounding the future of cannabis regulation in the Commonwealth.

 

1. Virginia Just Set An August Deadline That Will Wipe Out Hemp Businesses—Eleven Months Before The Legal Marijuana Market Opens (Op-Ed)
Author: Barbara Biddle, Cannabis Small Business Association
Publication: Marijuana Moment
Date: June 18, 2026
Link: https://www.marijuanamoment.net/virginia-just-set-an-august-deadline-that-will-wipe-out-hemp-businesses-eleven-months-before-the-legal-marijuana-market-opens-op-ed/

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2. How Virginia's Recreational Marijuana Plan Could Impact Hemp Farmers
Author: Joi Fultz
Publication: WTVR CBS 6
Date: June 17, 2026
https://www.wtvr.com/news/local-news/recreational-marijuana-plan-hemp-farmers-june-17-2026

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3. RVA Got Issues | When Will Virginia Legalize Marijuana?
Publication: VPM News
Date: June 10, 2026
Featured Guest: Barbara Biddle, Cannabis Small Business Association
https://rvasgotissues.vpm.org/2026/06/10/when-will-virginia-legalize-marijuana

Guests: Dean Mirshahi, Chelsea Higgs Wise, Barbara Biddle, Valerie Slater

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4. Va. Hemp Growers Worry About the Future of Their Industry Amid State and Federal Shifts
Author: Charlotte Rene Woods
Publication: Virginia Mercury
Date: May 7, 2026
https://virginiamercury.com/2026/05/07/va-hemp-growers-worry-about-the-future-of-their-industry-amid-state-and-federal-shifts/

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5. Hampton Roads Small Businesses React to Retail Cannabis Legislation
Author: Sandra J. Pennecke
Publication: The Virginian-Pilot
Date: April 28, 2026
Link: https://www.pilotonline.com/2026/04/28/hampton-roads-small-businesses-react-to-retail-cannabis-legislation/

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6. It's Going to Be a Gamble: Warrenton's Nova Hemp Critical of New Cannabis Legislation
Author: Jack Bowman
Publication: FauquierNow
Date: April 21, 2026
Link: https://www.fauquiernow.com/news/business/its-going-to-be-a-gamble-warrentons-nova-hemp-critical-of-new-cannabis-legislation/article_f9e5dc7b-f1d7-47df-b8ca-32a2b79b8e11.html

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7. Everything I Built for My Family Is Being Taken Away
Author: Barbara Biddle
Publication: RVA Magazine
Date: April 9, 2026
Link: https://rvamag.com/opinion-editorial/letters-to-the-editor/everything-i-built-for-my-family-is-being-taken-away.html

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8. Virginia's Governor Has The Power To Save Consumers' Access To Hemp Products (Op-Ed)
Author: Ellis Ivory
Publication: Marijuana Moment
Date: April 1, 2026
Link: https://www.marijuanamoment.net/virginias-governor-has-the-power-to-save-consumers-access-to-hemp-products-op-ed/

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9. 25 Years of Building Something Virginia Is About to Destroy | Guest Column
Author: Evan Somogyi
Publication: Richmond Times-Dispatch
Date: April 1, 2026
Link: https://richmond.com/opinion/column/article_d1c0c818-d317-4918-9457-7e81b7a18cae.html

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10. Hemp Retailers Say New Virginia Cannabis Law Would Shut Them Down
Publication: RVA Magazine
Date: March 19, 2026
Link: https://rvamag.com/politics/virginia-politics/hemp-retailers-say-new-virginia-cannabis-law-would-shut-them-down.html

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11. A Budding Issue: Inside Virginia's Recreational Cannabis Proposal
Publication: 13News Now
Date: March 3, 2026
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ok3KYa8u_Qs

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12. Op-Ed | Virginia Hemp Farmers Stuck Between Marijuana and Big Government
Publication: RVA Magazine
Date: January 26, 2026
Link: https://rvamag.com/opinion-editorial/op-ed-virginia-hemp-farmers-stuck-between-marijuana-and-big-government.html

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13. D.C. Hemp Businesses Face Sudden Crackdown Under Controversial Regulation
Author: LJ Dawson
Publication: Washington City Paper
Date: December 12, 2025
Link: https://washingtoncitypaper.com/article/775661/d-c-hemp-businesses-face-sudden-crackdown-under-controversial-regulation/

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14. Virginia Hemp Industry Faces New Threat from McConnell's Amendment
Author: R. Anthony Harris
Publication: RVA Magazine
Date: November 10, 2025
Link: https://rvamag.com/community/small-business/virginia-hemp-industry-faces-new-threat-from-mcconnells-amendment.html

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15. The Last of the Virginia Hemp Farmers
Author: R. Anthony Harris
Publication: RVA Magazine
Date: October 28, 2025
https://rvamag.com/community/the-last-of-the-virginia-hemp-farmers.html

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16. Lawmakers, Businesses Eye Potential Launch of Recreational Pot Market in Virginia
Author: Jack Jacobs
Publication: Richmond BizSense
Date: September 25, 2025
Link: https://richmondbizsense.com/2025/09/25/lawmakers-businesses-eye-potential-launch-of-recreational-pot-market-in-virginia/

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17. Virginia Hemp Growers Say Federal Ban Is 'Devastating'
Author: Mariah Jallad
Publication: WRIC ABC 8News (via MSN)
Date: 2025 (exact publication date not provided)
Link: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/virginia-hemp-growers-say-federal-ban-is-devastating/ar-AA1QHNfd

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18. Weeded Out: Why Is Virginia Clamping Down on Its Burgeoning Cannabis Economy?
Author: Don Harrison
Publication: Richmond Magazine
Date: July 10, 2023
Link: https://richmondmagazine.com/news/features/weeded-out/