HAMPTON, Va. (WVEC) — Hampton is one step closer to housing a medical cannabis oil facility after a planning commission meeting and vote on Thursday.
The planning commission unanimously approved adding the definition of "pharmaceutical processor" to the city's zoning ordinance. They also approved changing the city's zoning ordinance to allow for the production of cannabis oil in one of six zoning districts in the city.
The vote was recommended by city staff, but it still needs to be approved by the Hampton City Council. A majority of council members indicated in June that a pharmaceutical processor could provide good jobs and increase tax revenue in the city.
In February, state lawmakers unanimously approved legislation to allow all doctors to prescribe an oil extracted from weed for anyone who needs it.
The new law doesn’t legalize cannabis oil possession. It simply provides an “affirmative defense for someone with a medical condition. While possession is still illegal, someone with a medical condition and a doctor’s recommendation for the oil will not be prosecuted under the law."
Earlier this year, state law was changed to create five districts in Virginia where marijuana could be grown, processed, and dispensed to local medical patients with a prescription. Hampton has already been identified as a potential location for the process.
Any processor chosen by the state would still have to apply for a use permit that would require a review and public hearing by the Planning Commission and City Council.
According to a spokesman for RX Native Pharmaceuticals, which hopes to get state approval for a processing operation in Hampton, the facility could be operational in about a year, and it would create nearly 100 jobs in the city.
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