BRISTOL, Va. — A local firm’s bid to secure state permission to grow cannabis and produce and distribute cannabidiol oil [CBD] at the Bristol Mall must undergo a thorough review by the Virginia Board of Pharmacy.
Last Friday, a Bristol firm called Par Ventures Inc. announced plans to purchase the vacant Bristol Mall and lease space to Dharma Pharmaceuticals, another local firm that intends to apply for a state permit to grow cannabis plants and harvest the oil, under provisions of a 2018 state law. CBD isn’t considered a psychoactive drug, meaning users don’t get high because tetrahydrocannabinol [THC] levels are low.
The application deadline is 2 p.m. on June 8.
Reader reaction to the Bristol Herald Courier’s exclusive story Saturday on the plans was generally positive, as the owners talked about creating hundreds of new jobs at the former mall, which closed last year but hemorrhaged tenants for the past three years.
Last month, the Virginia Department of Health Professions, through the pharmacy board, began accepting applications for pharmaceutical processors. The three-step review includes submission of the initial application, awarding of conditional approval and granting the permit, according to the agency’s website.
Permit applications are considered confidential and won’t be released to the public, but the state will release the number of applications received after the submission deadline has passed, according to department spokeswoman Diane Powers.
This is all permitted under a change in state law, which allows one “pharmaceutical processor” to be established in each of the state’s five health service areas. Bristol is part of area III, which includes all of Southwest, part of Southside Virginia and the cities of Danville, Lynchburg, Martinsville, Radford, Roanoke and Salem.
The other major change in the law was that CBD and THC-A oil products were previously only available to those with “intractable epilepsy.” Now, the oils may be dispensed to people with “a diagnosed condition or disease determined by a [licensed] practitioner to benefit from such use.” In addition to epilepsy, the oil products are used to treat bipolar disorder, relieve pain, reduce anxiety and depression, alleviate cancer-related symptoms, reduce acne, benefit heart health and in substance abuse treatment.
Each person who secures such a prescription must register with the state and that registration process is being developed. Marijuana possession remains a crime.
The law specified that the state Pharmacy Board must establish regulations governing the “health, safety and security requirements for pharmaceutical processors.” Those include requirements for location restrictions, security systems and controls, equipment and resources, recordkeeping, labeling and packaging, quarterly inspections and processes for cultivating cannabis plants.
The law further stipulates processes for “producing cannabidiol oil and THC-A oil, dispensing and delivering those products to a registered patient, the maximum number of marijuana plants a pharmaceutical processor may possess at one time, the “secure disposal of plants” and steps for registering the cannabidiol oil and THC-A oil products.
The processor must also establish measures to ensure the concentration of tetrahydrocannabinol is within 10 percent of the amount measured for labeling and establish a regular testing schedule, under the law.
To dispense and deliver to individuals, each processor is to be supervised by a licensed pharmacist on the premises and all employees must undergo an FBI background check. Those convicted of a felony won’t be allowed to work there.
Cannabidiol oil and THC-A oil may only be distributed in person to Virginia residents registered with the state pharmacy board, or their legal guardian. That registration must be verified by the pharmacist or pharmacy technician before any product is dispensed, according to the law. No processor may dispense more than a 30-day supply to any patient.
Once the June 8 application deadline passes, an ad hoc committee appointed by the state board will review all applications and apply a scoring system to all applicants, which are to be finalized at meetings July 30 and 31. The board is to review that scoring by Aug. 14 and identify which applicants receive conditional approval.
Applicants will be evaluated through a scoring system that includes a detailed analysis of the firm’s financial position and ability to create and operate the business, its location in a community and within the health service area, plans to secure the facility, its ability to conduct business and occupy the proposed premises. The ad hoc committee is to also review any and all disciplinary action if a firm has other, similar operations in other states, assess its expertise in agriculture, production and dispensing the product, review marketing plans, plans and blueprints for the facility, product and site safety, as well as expected hours of operation.
If Dharma’s score is high enough to receive conditional approval, the Bristol Virginia City Council would then conduct a public hearing in September. The state is expected to issue conditional approvals on Sept. 25, after completing a final review.
Applicants that receive conditional approval will then have one year to complete construction or remodeling of a facility, install equipment and security provisions, receive local zoning approval and employ the pharmacist and other personnel. Only then will a permit be issued.
Once the permit is issued, the facility may obtain cannabis seeds and begin operations, according to board documents.