# Virginia SB543: Marijuana and hemp products; enforcement.

Virginia SB543, Marijuana and hemp products; enforcement., is a 2026 Regular Session Senate bill sponsored by Lashrecse D. Aird (Democratic); status signed, last action 2026-04-22 (House concurred in Governor's recommendation (65-Y 33-N 0-A)); PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-12).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-SB543-2026
- As of: 2026-10-12
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: Virginia SB543
- State: Virginia
- Session: 2026 Regular Session
- Title: Marijuana and hemp products; enforcement.
- Status: signed
- Chamber: Senate
- Introduced: 2026-01-13
- Last action: 2026-04-22, House concurred in Governor's recommendation (65-Y 33-N 0-A)
- Sponsor: Lashrecse D. Aird (Democratic)
- Cosponsors: 0
- Touches household money: yes
- Roll calls: 14 (394 yes, 189 no in all)
- Economic provisions PRIA read: 11

## Summary

Marijuana and hemp products; enforcement. Amends various provisions of law to increase enforcement and penalties related to the illegal sale of marijuana or marijuana products by persons licensed by the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority, and the Virginia Cannabis Control Authority (CCA). The bill also requires the Board of Directors of the CCA to create and require a decal for retail marijuana store licensees to prominently display on the premises of such store that allows consumers to electronically verify the validity of such store's license from the Board. The bill requires such decal to be displayed by licensees, with a civil penalty of $10,000 for each day that such decal is not displayed in the establishment. The bill also creates a $10,000 civil penalty for creating or falsifying such decal. The bill allows the Board to issue a notice of violation and order to cease unlicensed activity to any person who is engaged in the cultivation, processing, distribution, or selling of marijuana or marijuana products in violation of current law, and if the Board issues such notice and order, it may also order the seizure of such marijuana or marijuana products. Any person who intentionally removes such notice and order or sticker without authorization of the Board is subject to a civil penalty prescribed by the Board, not to exceed $5,000. The bill also specifies that the Chief Executive Officer of the Board or investigators appointed by him shall be sworn to enforce the provisions of the Cannabis Control Act and Board regulations and have the authority to investigate violations of the statutes and regulations the CCA is required to enforce. The bill also revises certain provisions related the assessment of civil penalties against manufacturers and sellers of certain industrial hemp extracts and foods containing industrial hemp extracts and makes it a prohibited practice under the Virginia Consumer Protection Act to sell or offer for sale a substance intended for human consumption, orally or by inhalation, that (i) contains more than 0.3 percent total tetrahydrocannabinol or (ii) contains more than two milligrams of total tetrahydrocannabinol per package. Additionally, the bill requires the Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security and the Secretary of Health and Human Resources to convene a work group to analyze the current efforts in the Commonwealth to combat the sale of illicit cannabis products and submit a report of its findings and recommendations to the Chairs of the House Committees on Appropriations, on General Laws, and for Courts of Justice and the Senate Committees on Finance and Appropriations, on General Laws and Technology, on Rehabilitation and Social Services, and for Courts of Justice by October 1, 2026.

## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read

- Hemp sellers get labeling penalty relief: benefit, medium. For a first violation limited to specified non-potency labeling or packaging rules, Virginia must give written notice and at least 15 business days to fix it. No civil penalty applies if corrected within that period and the product stays within applicable THC limits. For a seller’s first manufactur…
- Safety guidance and reporting for marijuana users: benefit, low. Virginia’s Cannabis Control Authority Board must post safe home-growing guidance, including child protection, legal compliance, and avoiding nuisance practices. It must publish information about responsible marijuana use, health risks, driving and equipment dangers, and possible employment effects.…
- Police training covers cannabis and crisis arrests: benefit, low. Virginia’s Department of Criminal Justice Services must set compulsory minimum and in-service marijuana and hemp training standards by January 1, 2027. Standards cover state laws, illicit product identification, enforcement tools, penalties, and agency cooperation. Development must include at least…
- Participation plan supports communities harmed disproportionately: benefit, low. The Cannabis Control Authority must create and carry out a plan encouraging marijuana industry participation by people from disproportionately impacted communities. It must coordinate with the Cannabis Social Equity Liaison and the Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. The plan must aim to…
- Businesses risk licenses over cannabis violations: cost, high. Virginia’s agriculture commissioner may deny, suspend, or revoke hemp retail registrations for hemp-rule violations or repeated specified marijuana sales, marketing, or labeling violations on-site. Localities must revoke covered business licenses for repeated Cannabis Control Act violations; the la…
- Cannabis businesses face license decal penalties: cost, high. Covered cannabis sellers, including retail stores, microbusinesses, pharmaceutical processors, and dispensing facilities, must display Board-issued license decals inside and outside. Covered consumer-sale locations include those selling marijuana, marijuana products, paraphernalia, immature plants,…
- Hemp businesses face steep daily fines: cost, high. Listed hemp retail and hemp-extract food violations carry civil penalties of up to $10,000 for each day they occur. Violations include missing registrations or permits, retail sales after registration suspension or revocation, required disclosure failures, and specified improper cannabinoid adverti…
- Repeat hemp violations trigger five-year bans: cost, high. People who negligently violate Virginia’s industrial hemp rules must follow a correction plan set by the agriculture commissioner. Covered violations include missing registration, insufficient location information, excess THC, and specified production violations. The plan sets a reasonable correcti…
- Hemp extract violations carry criminal penalties: cost, medium. Listed violations involving industrial hemp extract or food containing it are Class 1 misdemeanors. These include operating without a required permit, missing required disclosures, and specified unlawful manufacture or sale of cannabinoid-labeled substances. Each day of violation counts as a separa…
- Marijuana businesses can face permit fees: cost, low. The Cannabis Control Authority Board may set and collect fees for marijuana permits, including permit applications. The law does not set fee amounts. Applicants and permit holders pay amounts established by the Board.
- Stronger enforcement against illegal marijuana activity: cost, low. The Cannabis Control Authority’s chief executive and investigators may investigate marijuana-law violations and issue summonses for unlicensed cultivation, processing, distribution, or sales. Investigators may seek a criminal warrant when a person refuses to stop unlawful activity or provide a writ…

## Sponsors and cosponsors

- Sponsor: Lashrecse D. Aird (Democratic), Senate

## Roll call votes

| Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2026-04-22 | House | House concurred in Governor's recommendation | pass | 65 | 33 |   |
| 2026-04-22 | Senate | Senate concurred in Governor's recommendation | pass | 21 | 18 |   |
| 2026-03-14 | Senate | Conference report agreed to by Senate | pass | 22 | 17 |   |
| 2026-03-14 | House | Conference report agreed to by House | pass | 65 | 30 |   |
| 2026-03-12 | Senate | Senate acceded to request Block Vote | pass | 40 | 0 |   |
| 2026-03-10 | Senate | General Laws Amendment rejected by Senate | fail | 1 | 39 |   |
| 2026-03-06 | House | Passed House with amendment | pass | 66 | 32 |   |
| 2026-03-03 | House | Subcommittee recommends reporting with amendment(s) | pass | 8 | 1 |   |
| 2026-03-03 | House | Reported from General Laws with amendment(s) | pass | 17 | 4 |   |
| 2026-02-17 | Senate | Read third time and passed Senate | pass | 26 | 14 |   |
| 2026-02-16 | Senate | Finance and Appropriations Substitute agreed to | pass | 0 | 0 |   |
| 2026-02-13 | Senate | Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 1st reading) | pass | 35 | 0 |   |
| 2026-02-12 | Senate | Reported from Finance and Appropriations with substitute | pass | 13 | 1 | 1 |
| 2026-01-23 | Senate | Reported from Rehabilitation and Social Services and rereferred to Finance and Appropriations | pass | 15 | 0 |   |

## Actions (56)

- 2026-04-22: House concurred in Governor's recommendation (65-Y 33-N 0-A) (House)
- 2026-04-22: Senate concurred in Governor's recommendation (21-Y 18-N 0-A) (Senate)
- 2026-04-22: Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP1016) (Governor)
- 2026-04-22: Reenrolled bill text (SB543ER2) (Senate)
- 2026-04-22: Reenrolled (Senate)
- 2026-04-22: Approved by Governor-Chapter 1016 (Effective - see bill) (Governor)
- 2026-04-22: Signed by President (Senate)
- 2026-04-22: Signed by Speaker (House)
- 2026-04-22: Governor's recommendation adopted (Governor)
- 2026-04-13: Governor's recommendation received by Senate (Governor)
- 2026-04-03: Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (SB543) (Senate)
- 2026-03-31: Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 13, 2026 (Governor)
- 2026-03-31: Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 31, 2026 (Senate)
- 2026-03-31: Signed by Speaker (House)
- 2026-03-30: Bill text as passed Senate and House (SB543ER) (Senate)
- 2026-03-30: Enrolled (Senate)
- 2026-03-30: Signed by President (Senate)
- 2026-03-24: Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (SB543) (Senate)
- 2026-03-14: Conference report agreed to by Senate (22-Y 17-N 0-A) (Senate)
- 2026-03-14: Conference report agreed to by House (65-Y 30-N 0-A) (House)
- 2026-03-14: Conference Report released
- 2026-03-12: House Conferees: Krizek, Torian, Wiley (House)
- 2026-03-12: Conferees appointed by House (House)
- 2026-03-12: Senate acceded to request Block Vote (40-Y 0-N 0-A) (Senate)
- 2026-03-12: Conferees appointed by Senate (Senate)
- 2026-03-12: Senate Conferees: Aird, VanValkenburg, Stanley (Senate)
- 2026-03-11: House requested conference committee (House)
- 2026-03-11: House insisted on amendments (House)
- 2026-03-10: General Laws Amendment rejected by Senate (Senate)
- 2026-03-06: Passed House with amendment (66-Y 32-N 0-A) (House)
- 2026-03-06: Engrossed by House as amended (House)
- 2026-03-06: committee amendment agreed to (House)
- 2026-03-06: Read third time (House)
- 2026-03-05: Read second time (House)
- 2026-03-03: House subcommittee offered (House)
- 2026-03-03: Subcommittee recommends reporting with amendment(s) (8-Y 1-N) (House)
- 2026-03-03: Reported from General Laws with amendment(s) (17-Y 4-N) (House)
- 2026-02-25: Assigned HGL sub: ABC/Gaming (House)
- 2026-02-24: Referred to Committee on General Laws (House)
- 2026-02-24: Read first time (House)
- 2026-02-24: Placed on Calendar (House)
- 2026-02-19: Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (SB543) (Senate)
- 2026-02-17: Read third time and passed Senate (26-Y 14-N 0-A) (Senate)
- 2026-02-16: Finance and Appropriations Substitute agreed to (Senate)
- 2026-02-16: Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (SB543) (Senate)
- 2026-02-16: Engrossed by Senate - committee substitute (Voice Vote) (Senate)
- 2026-02-16: Read second time (Senate)
- 2026-02-13: Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 1st reading) (35-Y 0-N 0-A) (Senate)
- 2026-02-13: Committee substitute printed 26107980D-S1 (Senate)
- 2026-02-13: Passed by for the day (Senate)
- 2026-02-13: Rules suspended (Senate)
- 2026-02-12: Reported from Finance and Appropriations with substitute (13-Y 1-N 1-A) (Senate)
- 2026-01-30: Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (SB543) (Senate)
- 2026-01-23: Reported from Rehabilitation and Social Services and rereferred to Finance and Appropriations (15-Y 0-N) (Senate)
- 2026-01-13: Referred to Committee on Rehabilitation and Social Services (Senate)
- 2026-01-13: Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26105066D (Senate)

## Bill text

- Chaptered, 2026-04-22: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1225135.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1225134.PDF)
- Reenrolled, 2026-04-22: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1220878.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1220877.PDF)
- Gov Recommendation, 2026-04-13: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1219600.HTML)
- Enrolled, 2026-03-30: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1214522.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1214521.PDF)
- Conference Report, 2026-03-14: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1211662.HTML)
- Substitute, 2026-03-14: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1211656.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1211655.PDF)
- Amendment, 2026-03-06: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1198341.HTML)
- Amendment, 2026-03-03: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1190884.HTML), [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1191524.HTML), [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1191486.HTML)
- Substitute, 2026-02-13: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1145947.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1145946.PDF)
- Introduced, 2026-01-13: [HTML](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1090763.HTML), [PDF](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1090762.PDF)

## Related bills

- HB5: Employment; paid sick leave, civil penalties. (signed)
- SB199: Employment; paid sick leave, civil penalties. (signed)
- HB95: Va. Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; landlord remedies, noncompliance with rental agreement. (signed)
- HB1393: Electric utilities; pilot program for energy assistance and weatherization for certain individuals. (signed)
- HB834: Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; fire or casualty damage, termination by landlord. (signed)
- HB675: Protection of employees; coercion or threat based on immigration status, civil penalty. (signed)

## Sources
- [Chaptered (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1225135.HTML)
- [Chaptered (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1225134.PDF)
- [Reenrolled (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1220878.HTML)
- [Reenrolled (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1220877.PDF)
- [Gov Recommendation (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1219600.HTML)
- [Enrolled (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1214522.HTML)
- [Enrolled (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1214521.PDF)
- [Conference Report (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1211662.HTML)
- [Substitute (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1211656.HTML)
- [Substitute (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1211655.PDF)
- [Amendment (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1198341.HTML)
- [Amendment (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1190884.HTML)
- [Amendment (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1191524.HTML)
- [Amendment (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1191486.HTML)
- [Substitute (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1145947.HTML)
- [Substitute (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1145946.PDF)
- [Introduced (HTML)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1090763.HTML)
- [Introduced (PDF)](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1090762.PDF)

## Related
- [HB5: Employment; paid sick leave, civil penalties.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB5-2026)
- [SB199: Employment; paid sick leave, civil penalties.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-SB199-2026)
- [HB95: Va. Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; landlord remedies, noncompliance with…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB95-2026)
- [HB1393: Electric utilities; pilot program for energy assistance and weatherization for…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB1393-2026)
- [HB834: Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; fire or casualty damage, terminat…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB834-2026)
- [HB675: Protection of employees; coercion or threat based on immigration status, civil…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-HB675-2026)
- [Virginia bills](https://policyrisk.com/states/virginia/bills)
- [Virginia state hub](https://policyrisk.com/states/virginia)
- [All state legislation](https://policyrisk.com/state-bills)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/VA-SB543-2026 (as of 2026-10-12).