Marketplace

Hanover and Henrico counties are advancing local zoning ordinances to regulate recreational marijuana businesses ahead of Virginia's retail market launch on July 1, 2027. While the state will handle licensing and most regulations, localities retain control over zoning, local tax rates, operating hours, and distance requirements between cannabis businesses. Hanover's proposed ordinance would require a one-mile buffer from other cannabis businesses, hospitals, schools, day cares, and parks, with retail hours limited to weekdays, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Henrico's draft calls for a 1,000-foot buffer and a county-approved security plan. Both proposals require conditional use permits involving public review. Henrico's board of supervisors will make final decisions; Hanover holds a public hearing January 27.