AYR Wellness Awarded Virginia HSA I Vertical cannabis license | How to buy CBD Oil online

Virginia cannabis regulators gave conditional approval for the awarding of the final five medical cannabis licenses – which had been in litigation for many years – to Miami-based multistate operator AYR Wellness.

The Virginia Cannabis Control Authority announced on September 5 that its board members voted in favor of awarding the Health Service Area I (HSA 1) license to subsidiary AYR Virginia following an open application held in April.

The HSA I permit, also known as a “pharmaceutical processing” license in Virginia will give the company the exclusive rights to cultivate medical cannabis, process it and sell it in a 24-county area of more than 1,5 million people in northern part of the State. This region includes the Shenandoah valley, Charlottesville Fredericksburg, Spotsylvania, and Stafford.

Due to a failed merger in 2019 between Los Angeles-based MedMen Enterprises, and Chicago-based PharmaCann Inc., Virginia’s HSA 1 region was left without a medical cannabis license holder.

In the end, MedMen acquired all of PharmaCann Virginia’s assets, including its HSA I conditional license. Termination of business merger Settlement in 2019 but neither company began construction on a production and cultivation facility – a conditional requirement – and the Viriginia Board of Pharmacy cancelled the license.

PharmaCann Virginia Loses Appeal over Disputed Cannabis Licence

The rescinded licence resulted in a dispute over the HSA I license that has left a gap on Virginia’s medical marijuana market ever since.

John Keohane, CCA Board Chairman, said in a statement that the establishment of a medical cannabis operator within HSA 1 was long overdue. “Patients have waited too long for medical cannabis products in this area.” AYR Virginia’s entry into the market is going to make a significant impact on their lives.”

AYR intends to open a cultivation-and-processing facility in Clear Brook (north of Winchester). According to the CCA, the company has one year to meet conditions such as progress towards constructing a compliant and operational facility.

AYR can open up to six dispensaries in the Commonwealth to serve medical cannabis patients.

In a press statement, AYR President & CEO David Goubert stated that they were “proud to have earned the right to serve patients in Virginia,” a region with approximately 1.5 million residents who had been without access to medical marijuana for some time. “This is a momentous occasion for AYR. It reflects our ongoing efforts to build our business in order to generate sustainable, forward-looking growth.”

AYR, upon entering Virginia’s restricted-license market, will join other medical cannabis operators Jushi Holdings which operates six Beyond / Hello Dispensaries within HSA II, Green Thumb Industries which operates six RISE Dispensaries within HSA III, The Cannabist Co. which operates five dispensaries within HSA IV, and Verano which recently opened a new dispensary in HSA 4. Buy Tickets The HSA V license includes six dispensary locations.

Get curated news on YOUR industry.

Enter your email address to receive our newsletters