The Virginia Cannabis Control Authority (CCA or Authority) fully embraced its regulatory, educational, and policy roles in Fiscal Year 2024 (FY24). As regulators, we assumed oversight of the Commonwealth’s medical cannabis program (MCP), which served nearly 104,000 unique patients in FY24. As educators, we expanded our public outreach and conducted a multimedia safe driving campaign. And as policy advisers, we provided technical advice to lawmakers on numerous legislative measures and other important policy matters. All of this work supported the Authority’s overarching mission to promote the Commonwealth’s public health and safety.

CCA began regulating the MCP in January 2024 and promptly issued regulations formalizing CCA authority over the program. Extensive preparations – hiring personnel, coordinating with both the previous regulator (the Board of Pharmacy) and software vendors, and communicating with licensed pharmaceutical processors and other stakeholders – preceded the start of CCA oversight. The planning produced a smooth regulatory transition of the MCP and enabled the Authority to build a robust enforcement function, efficient product approval process, and responsive team for managing public inquiries about the MCP. Prospectively, the CCA’s focus in Fiscal Year 2025 (FY25) is to competitively select a pharmaceutical processor to begin operations in Health Service Area 1 as soon as feasible, update the MCP’s software, and institute a statewide seed-to-sale system to strengthen the program’s security and consumer protections.

The CCA team devoted significant time and effort in FY24 to public outreach. This work included sharing important public health and safety information at town halls, publishing new educational resources, presenting to stakeholder groups, participating in government and community working groups focused on substance abuse and prevention, and leveraging social media. Of particular note was the creation in FY24 of separate toolkits for parents, teens, and young adults that provided detailed information on the health, safety, and legal aspects of cannabis. These resources have proved especially popular among schools and groups focused on substance abuse and prevention.

Educating the public about the risks and consequences of cannabis-impaired driving in a multimedia campaign also was a priority for the CCA in FY24. The CCA highlighted these dangers through television, radio, and online digital ads. We amplified the campaign by enlisting the assistance of partner organizations and businesses, who used CCA-produced materials to further disseminate the safe driving message. Plans for FY25 include conducting a survey to understand which messaging was most effective in promoting safe driving habits among Virginia drivers.

At the direction of the General Assembly, the CCA also prepared a study of how other states regulate intoxicating hemp-derived products and commissioned a comprehensive examination of Virginia’s MCP in FY24. These analyses provide information that can be used to sharpen laws on consumable hemp products and to revamp the MCP so it is more competitive, accessible, and economically inclusive.

FY24’s momentum has carried into FY25. The new fiscal year promises to be equally busy with crucial work on the regulatory, educational, and policy fronts well underway. The Commonwealth’s public health and safety will continue to drive all of the CCA’s work in FY25. And I will continue to be grateful that I have the honor of leading the board overseeing the work of such a dedicated and public service-oriented team.

/s/ John F. Keohane
Virginia CCA Chair