The retail bill the General Assembly sent to the governor in March sets a 6% state cannabis tax. Localities can add their own 1% to 3.5% on top of regular sales tax.
Forty percent of the cannabis tax goes to early childhood care and education. Thirty percent goes to the Cannabis Equity Reinvestment Fund.
The bill also moves oversight of hemp sales under the Virginia Cannabis Control Authority, with consistent testing and safety standards.
What to watch: the local tax rate. Each city and county decides its own, so the price on the shelf in Roanoke could differ from Richmond or Northern Virginia.