CAROLINE COUNTY, Va. — A Ruther Glen hemp farmer says Virginia's plan for rolling out a recreational marijuana marketplace could leave small businesses like his with no path forward.
Tucked away off I-95 in Ruther Glen, Virginia, Redfern Farm and Market sits on 42 acres that owner Graham Redfern has spent thousands of dollars and hours building since 2018.
The farm grows numerous crops, including cannabis, and Redfern sells the product wholesale while also producing various goods derived from the plant.
"So our dog treats, our creams, our CBD oils, all come from the oil produced from the plants of the hemp that we grow here," Redfern said. "It does not matter. There is something that somebody uses within every demographic with one of these products."
Redfern says that livelihood is now in jeopardy following Tuesday's announcement by Governor Abigail Spanberger that a plan is in place to sell marijuana recreationally across the state starting in July of 2027.
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A press release from the governor's office says the legislation would end the "25-1 hemp loophole" — a rule Spanberger says allowed highly intoxicating THC products to be sold with limited oversight. Redfern, however, says the loophole gave hemp businesses like his the opportunity to sell quality, up-to-standard products containing more than two milligrams of THC. With that provision gone, he says those products can no longer be sold after August 15 of this year.
"I'm gonna lose all my customers to online, out-of-state people within a month of me not being able to sell because they're gonna have to go find it somewhere else, and for me to get them back out, near impossible, because there's not gonna be an outlet for me to sell through and they're not coming back. So you're killing small business, you're completely changing the livelihoods of your constituents and you're crushing a commodity that our forefathers grew," Redfern said.
Because the farm may not survive the waiting period before recreational marijuana sales begin next summer, Redfern says the legislation will devastate businesses like his across the industry.
"Everything that we sell is now illegal," Redfern said. "We are literally going to go out of business."
Redfern also raised concerns about the broader impact on consumers who rely on hemp-derived products.
"There are way more constituents who use these products that are now illegal and for their dogs and their horses and everything that you would have never imagined all the veterinarians who are gonna get mad because they have CBD oil on the shelves for the dogs gone. Because it's more than 2 mg, so my question is, where do we go from here?" Redfern said.
Virginia Sen. Lashrecse Aird shared the following statement with CBS 6:
“We understand that changes in the marketplace create uncertainty for existing businesses, and I sympathize with farmers and producers who are trying to plan for the future. However, it’s important to be clear about what this provision does and does not do. Closing the 25-to-1 loophole does not prevent farmers from continuing to grow industrial hemp or produce products that comply with Virginia’s 2 milligram THC limit. What it does is address a loophole that has allowed intoxicating products to be marketed and sold as cannabis outside of a robust regulatory framework that protects consumers.
This is fundamentally a public safety issue. If a product is being marketed and consumed as cannabis, it should be subject to the same safeguards, testing requirements, and age restrictions as cannabis. While I understand concerns about changing market conditions, lawmakers have a responsibility to put consumer safety first.”
In the meantime, Redfern says he is not sure what he is going to do and is hoping for direction from the state on next steps.
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