Multistate medical marijuana operators tapped for Virginia’s CBD program

Virginia named its first five CBD-only medical cannabis business licensees – three of them multistate operators.

Virginia’s Board of Pharmacy reviewed 51 applicants to produce CBD products in five areas of the state.

The winning applicants are called “pharmaceutical processors” and must grow, process and sell the products at one location, though Virginia patients can visit any of the five.

The licensees, which have one year to become operational, are:

• Columbia Care, a multistate cannabis producer based in New York. The Virginia addition gives the company operations in 10 states, plus Washington DC and Puerto Rico. Columbia Care’s Virginia license covers the easternmost area of the state, including Norfolk and Virginia Beach.
• PharmaCann, based in Oak Park, Illinois. The company already grows and sells medical marijuana in Illinois and New York state. PharmaCann’s license covers much of northern Virginia, including Charlottesville and Fredericksburg.
• Green Leaf Medical, based in Frederick, Maryland. The company also has operations in Pennsylvania and Ohio. Green Leaf’s Virginia license covers the south-central area, including Richmond.
• Dalitso, which plans to open in Manassas. Dalitso’s license covers Washington DC’s southern suburbs, including Alexandria.
• Dharma Pharmaceuticals, based in Bristol. Dharma’s license covers western Virginia.

Virginia requires companies vying for licenses to be vertically integrated, and the first wave of licensees will produce only CBD or THC-A oils, which are nonintoxicating.

While Virginia hasn’t legalized a full-fledged medical marijuana program, it provides legal protection for CBD patients.