Virginia medical cannabis patients traveling elsewhere with high prices locally, new study finds

ROANOKE, Va. – A new study shows some of the flaws when it comes to Virginia’s medical cannabis market.

The current program is struggling to capture patients amid evolving local and adult-use policies in bordering states and with above-average prices. The prices are driving consumers to purchase cannabis products elsewhere.

The 77-page report, which you can read in full below, comes after the 2023 General Assembly tasked the Virginia Cannabis Control Authority with reviewing Virginia’s medical cannabis program.

Some of the key findings from the report include:

• 90% of patients purchase cannabis from sources other than the Virginia medical market,
• About 57% of Virginia medical marijuana patients, the study found, obtained cannabis by growing at home,
• 65.2% of patients received cannabis from a friend or family.

Derek Wall is a co-founder of the Virginia Cannabis Association. Wall, like many others in support of opening up the cannabis market, believes they can use this study to their advantage.

“It lays it out clear as day that the medical program is not working. The illicit market is flourishing and that we need adult use. If you can’t get that out of this report then we need to move on,” Wall said.

Wall owns the Buffalo Hemp Company which has stores in Roanoke and Floyd. His stores like many others throughout the state were hit with a list of restrictions when the 2023 General Assembly passed a new hemp bill.

“It’s made it really tough to sell any type of hemp product. We basically had to go from selling ‘A’ and transitioning all the way to ‘Z’,” Wall said.

This year’s election shook up the powers with Democrats flipping the House of Delegates. Wall is hoping a new bill will open up a regulated adult-use market with the governor potentially supporting it.

“I think his hand is going to be forced this session because it’s such a chaotic environment. If he does nothing then it’s going to continue to be chaos, consumers are going to continue to get products and get ill,” Wall said.

You can read the entire report below.