Virginia
Virginia’s cannabis regulator moves downtown HQ to Henrico – Richmond BizSense
The Cannabis Control Authority, the state agency that regulates cannabis in Virginia, recently moved its headquarters to an office building in western Henrico. (BizSense file photos)
The state agency tasked with oversight of Virginia’s cannabis industry has exited its downtown headquarters in favor of a new spot in the leafy suburbs.
The Virginia Cannabis Control Authority relocated last month to the Deep Run III office building at 9954 Mayland Drive in western Henrico.
The CCA occupies about 15,000 square feet in its new space, which replaces its former headquarters in the Virginia Workers’ Compensation Commission building at 333 E. Franklin St. in the city. The CCA said the move makes it more accessible to the general public in a space better laid out for its employees’ needs.
An agency spokeswoman said the Deep Run space was appealing because it has a conference center that allows more people to attend the organization’s board of directors meetings and has free parking that meeting attendees can utilize.
“This space was selected after an extensive search of properties, identified through a request for proposals, in the central Virginia region,” the spokeswoman said in an email. “The CCA successfully negotiated lease terms that include a rent-free period resulting in a cost-effective solution to optimize space utilization and give the public better accessibility to the agency.”
The organization, which has about 30 full-time employees, oversees the state’s medical marijuana program and cannabis regulation and policy in Virginia. The agency took over oversight of the state’s medical program from the Board of Pharmacy this year.
The CCA occupies suite 3100 in the building, which was once part of the headquarters campus of now-defunct electronics retailer Circuit City. The property is owned by Massachusetts-based RMR Group, which acquired the 355,000-square-foot office building for $56 million in 2019.
The Deep Run III building at 9954 Mayland Drive in Innsbrook.
The CCA moved into its new space around the time Gov. Glenn Youngkin appointed Roxann Robinson to the agency’s five-member board of directors.
Robinson is a retired optometrist and former Republican member of the House of Delegates, where she served from 2010 to 2024.
The board’s other members are: Neil Amin, CEO of Shamin Hotels; John Keohane, retired Hopewell police chief; Michael Massie, a Portsmouth trial attorney; and Anthony Williams, a former Drug Enforcement Administration official.
Amin and Massie were appointed by former Gov. Ralph Northam, and have served on the board since the CCA was created in 2021. That was the same year that recreational use of marijuana became legal in Virginia. Keohane and Williams are Youngkin appointees.
While it’s legal for adults to possess and use cannabis recreationally in Virginia, it remains illegal to sell recreational cannabis within the state. That’s despite attempts in the last several years by legislators to launch a legal recreational market. Currently, only the companies involved in the state-sanctioned medical cannabis program can legally sell marijuana in Virginia.
The state allows one company to grow and sell medical marijuana in each of its five health service areas. New York-based company Cannabist has permission to operate in Health Service Area 4, which covers the Richmond and Petersburg areas. Cannabist also controls the license for Health Service Area 5, which includes Hampton Roads and eastern Virginia.
Licensees are able to operate up to five satellite dispensaries in addition to a single pot growing-and-processing facility within the borders of each licensee’s associated health service area. In the zone that includes Richmond, Cannabist grows marijuana at a Manchester facility, which has an in-house dispensary, and operates satellite dispensaries under the Cannabist and gLeaf brands.
Cannabist opened a dispensary in eastern Henrico earlier this year, following the opening of its other satellite dispensaries in Carytown, Short Pump and Colonial Heights in recent years.
This fall, the CCA announced it had picked Metrc, a Florida-based company, to run a seed-to-sale tracking program for the state’s medical cannabis companies. The system is slated to launch in summer 2025 and is intended to monitor the quality and safety of cannabis sold in the state from planting to production and sales.
CLARKSBURG, W.Va. (WBOY) — West Virginia has plenty of state symbols, be it the black bear as the state animal, the cardinal as the state bird or the rhododendron as the state flower, but did you know that the Mountain State also has its own official gun?
The Hall Flintlock Model 1819 was first manufactured in Harpers Ferry by John H. Hall in 1811 and was adopted by the United States Army in 1819, making it the first breech-loading rifle ever adopted by a country’s military.
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Model 1819 Hall Breechloading Rifle presented by Congress to Gustavous A. Bird for his participation in the Battle of Plattsburgh 9/11/1814 by John C. Bird via the Smithsonian Institution -
Model 1819 Hall Breechloading Rifle presented by Congress to Gustavous A. Bird for his participation in the Battle of Plattsburgh 9/11/1814 by John C. Bird via the Smithsonian Institution
All of this information is listed in Senate Concurrent Resolution 7, which was introduced and passed during the 2013 West Virginia Legislative session, and officially recognizes the Model 1819 as the official firearm of the State of West Virginia.
On top of being created in West Virginia, the resolution also points out that the rifle saw use during the Civil War, an event that directly led to West Virginia’s statehood.
While having an officially recognized state firearm may seem far-fetched, West Virginia is not the only state that has one. As a matter of fact, a fifth of the states in the country have officially designated a state firearm, including West Virginia’s neighbors in Kentucky and Pennsylvania.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — In this world of college football, with the transfer portal and recruiting battles, bad blood is present more than ever before between head coaches.
That’s not the case between the Virginia Tech head coach and Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney, however. In fact, Franklin revealed at ACC Kickoff on Thursday that the two are actually close friends, dating back to their time at the Nike trip that various coaches take over the summer.
“Dabo’s my guy,” Franklin said on Thursday. “We go way back. We’ve been on the Nike trip for a long time. His wife and my wife are friends.”
The long-time Penn State head coach is making the move to the ACC after being fired from the Nittany Lions in October. 12 seasons of being with the program had Franklin hold a 44-21 record against top 10 opponents, an impressive record for a new conference foe of Swinney’s.
But when that trip comes around, there’s a camaraderie between Swinney and Franklin and both of their wives. In fact, the two hang out with each other instead of the other coaches at times. It simply comes to an “edgy” time in college athletics that raises tempers.
“I’m going to be honest, I wouldn’t say we’re necessarily like the type of people that love a lot of other coaches and a lot of other programs,” Franklin said. “It’s hard when you just compete year-round.”
On Swinney’s end, there are a few who could immediately come to mind among Clemson fans. Perhaps the most recent would be Ole Miss coach Pete Golding, who played the most significant role in the tampering of former linebacker Luke Ferrelli.
It’s a select list of coaches who make the good side of the Tigers’ head coach, and Franklin is certainly on that list. On the other hand, Hokies’ head coach has Swinney on his own shortlist.
“Obviously, tremendous respect for what he has built at Clemson and what he’s done at Clemson, and what he’s done for the ACC,” he said.
The two will see that close relationship face off at Memorial Stadium this upcoming season. Clemson will host the Hokies on Oct. 24 in what could be a potential title-eliminator for the ACC Championship.
Of course, the last game that we’ve seen the Tigers play in was against Franklin’s former team in Penn State at the Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl. That game ended in a 22-10 contest that saw a foundation of Franklin players end Clemson’s season in disappointment.
Swinney will see many of those players once again in October, including starting quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer, in that contest. The anticipated Hokie starter recorded 260 yards and two passing touchdowns on the Tigers in the Bronx that day.
Although friends become foes, another ACC coach has given Swinney his flowers for what he’s been able to do for the conference. In the upcoming moments, Franklin will look to prepare his team to prove itself on one of the biggest stages in the ACC, while Swinney looks to put his team back at the top of a conference he’s dominated for over 15 years.
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MARTINSVILLE, Va. (WSET) — Extreme drought conditions in parts of Virginia have prompted an emergency drought warning for a wide swath of the region, including Bedford, Campbell, Charlotte, Franklin, Halifax, Henry, Mecklenburg, Patrick, Pittsylvania and Roanoke counties, along with the cities of Danville, Roanoke, Salem and Martinsville.
The governor has warned that if conditions worsen, she will activate mandatory nonessential water-use restrictions.
In Martinsville, city leaders have issued a voluntary water conservation notice and are urging residents and businesses to cut back where they can. The request comes as local businesses that rely heavily on water say the drought is already affecting day-to-day operations.
SEE ALSO: Botetourt County residents adjust daily routines as voluntary water restriction continues
John Hughes, owner of John’s Car Wash, said the dry conditions have hit his business hard in recent weeks. “For the last 3 weeks, it’s been hitting pretty hard. We done three yesterday and haven’t done anything today with the drought and hot weather. Yeah, I’m really concerned about it,” Hughes said.
Restaurants are also feeling the strain. David Kitzmiller, an owner of Be Wiched, said water is essential for routine tasks such as washing dishes and preparing some menu items.
“We use a lot of water for washing dishes and some of our recipes if they limit us in anyway defiently can’t produce and its a scary aspect,” Kitzmiller said.
Kitzmiller added that cutting back is not always realistic for businesses that must meet sanitation needs. “Not really feasible for a business that depends solely relies on water to wash their dishes, so that can’t definitely be an impact there,” he said.
City leaders emphasized that the conservation request is voluntary for now, but they are encouraging everyone to do their part by taking shorter showers, turning off the faucet when it is not in use, washing only full loads of laundry, and limiting outdoor watering whenever possible.
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