The 2015 Session of the Virginia General Assembly enacted the Industrial Hemp Law (Law) (Va. Code § 3.2-4112 et seq.), which authorizes the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) to establish and oversee an industrial hemp research program that will be directly managed by public institutions of higher education. In 2018, the four public universities with VDACS-approved industrial hemp research programs planted a total of approximately 135 acres in industrial hemp. Following amendments to the Law enacted by the General Assembly in 2018, VDACS established a new industrial hemp research program that is directly managed by VDACS.