Seven companies are challenging a CBD licensing process in Virginia criticized as “wildly prejudicial” and favoring multistate operators.
Out of 51 applicants for five vertically integrated CBD and THC-A licenses, multistate operators received three, a situation that spurred the appeals, The Virginian-Pilot reported.
One consultant to an applicant said the selections felt “predetermined.”
The Virginia Board of Pharmacy reportedly sent information to the applicants in December explaining its selections, but some applicants weren’t satisfied.
A board spokeswoman wrote in an email to the Pilot that the board “does not comment on pending litigation.”
The five winning applicants, called “pharmaceutical processors,” have a year from winning the licenses to become operational.
The multistate operators that won three of the five licenses were New York-based Columbia Care, Illinois-headquartered PharmaCann and Green Leaf Medical, which is based in Maryland.