Small Businesses to Virginia Lawmakers: Don’t Leave Us Behind in Cannabis Market
- barbara83072
- Sep 6
- 3 min read
Richmond, VA – August 20, 2025 – The Cannabis Small Business Association (CSBA), representing Virginia hemp and cannabis entrepreneurs, delivered powerful testimony before the Joint Commission on the Cannabis Retail Market at the Virginia General Assembly. Their message was clear: Virginia’s cannabis market must be built with small businesses and farmers at its core—or risk failure.
Founded earlier this year, the CSBA has quickly grown into the leading voice for Virginia’s hemp and cannabis entrepreneurs. Board members Barbara Biddle, Graham Redfern, and Eric Spanbauer spoke on behalf of hundreds of small businesses across the state whose livelihoods depend on a fair, inclusive, and sustainable cannabis industry.
Barbara Biddle: “From $2,000 and a Table to $2 Million in Sales”
CSBA Co-Founder and President Barbara Biddle shared her personal journey, starting with just $2,000 and a six-foot table in 2017. By 2022, she had built three brick-and-mortar locations, a thriving online store, and nearly $2 million in sales.
But everything changed in 2023, when SB903 redefined hemp and effectively outlawed the majority of her products.
“Overnight, my company lost half its revenue. The majority of my products—legal hemp under federal law—were suddenly considered marijuana under Virginia law,” Biddle told the Commission. “We are not asking for favors. We are asking for fairness, for a chance to compete.”
She emphasized that while safety standards like childproof packaging and age restrictions are essential, SB903 went too far—wiping out 90% of the hemp market and leaving consumers without access to non-intoxicating CBD products they had come to rely on.
“Instead of building generational wealth, small business owners like me face the risk of passing on generational debt,” she warned.
Graham Redfern: “You Can’t Have an Agricultural Industry Without the Farmer”
Graham Redfern, owner of Redfern Hempco and Redfern Market, spoke passionately about the need to include Virginia farmers in cannabis policymaking.
“You can’t have an agricultural industry without the farmer—and yet farmers are rarely mentioned,” Redfern said.
He warned that the proposed canopy system, which prioritizes large indoor grows for smokable flower, risks excluding farmers from the edible and wellness markets that require massive volumes of raw material.
“If Virginia ignores cultivation, especially for edibles and minor cannabinoids like CBN and CBG, we will miss out on the true economic potential of cannabis,” he explained.
Redfern also highlighted infrastructure concerns, noting that massive indoor grow facilities will strain water and electrical systems in both rural and urban counties.
Eric Spanbauer: “Let’s Build a Market That Works for Virginians, Not Just in Virginia”
Eric Spanbauer, a CSBA Board Member and hemp entrepreneur, shared how his company has employed more than 20 Virginians since 2020 through manufacturing, agriculture, wholesale, and retail. He warned lawmakers not to repeat the mistakes that overregulation caused in the hemp industry.
“These are not faceless corporations. They’re your neighbors, your local employers, and your community partners,” Spanbauer said. “Please don’t write a rulebook that only billion-dollar corporations can afford to follow. Let’s build a market that works for Virginians, not just in Virginia.”
Spanbauer laid out several CSBA policy recommendations, including:
Reducing application fees and creating micro-licenses for small operators
Providing state-supported cannabis business training
Reevaluating burdensome regulations like casino-level security and indoor-only cultivation
Establishing a startup fund to help entrepreneurs with capital and compliance costs
Capping the marijuana excise tax at 12% to keep products accessible
Preserving the federal definition of hemp
“We are not asking for favors—we are asking for fairness, for a shot at success in the state we call home,” he concluded.
A Call to Action
The CSBA urged lawmakers to learn from other states’ mistakes and ensure that Virginia’s cannabis market reflects Virginia values: entrepreneurship, accountability, and opportunity for all.
The association is also calling on more small businesses, farmers, and entrepreneurs to join their ranks and help shape the future of the industry.
“Please let us compete. Please let us contribute. And please give small business owners like us a chance,” Biddle said in closing.
📢 To learn more about the CSBA or to join as a member, visit [Insert Website Link].
Media Contact:
Barbara Biddle
Cannabis Small Business Association (CSBA)
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