Virginia recreational marijuana laws prioritize social equity applicants and establish a
Cannabis Equity Reinvestment Board to provide resources to support these applicants. Social equity applicants refer to residents of the state who have been disproportionately impacted by the effects of law enforcement on marijuana-related crimes. Virginia laws seek to address the disinvestment, violence, and historical overuse of the criminal justice system against certain communities and individuals. The state wants to create an inclusive market by focusing on communities where the war on drugs has a disproportionately worse effect.
To qualify for social equity status in the state, the applicant must have resided in the Commonwealth of Virginia for up to 12 months. The following conditions also apply:
- At least 66%-owned by a person or persons who have been convicted or adjudicated delinquent for any misdemeanor violations of marijuana-specific laws.
- At least 66%-owned by a person who is a relative of an individual who was convicted or adjudicated delinquent for any misdemeanor violations of marijuana-specific laws.
- At least 66%-owned by persons who have resided in areas disproportionately affected by marijuana crime responses for up to three of the past five years.
- At least 66%-owned by persons who have resided in economically distressed areas for at least three of the last five years.
- At least 66%-owned by a person or persons who graduated from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
Social equity applicants will receive preference from July 1, 2023, until January 1, 2024, and authorities will also waive a certain percentage of their application fees.