What is the status of SB543?

Chaptered as of April 22, 2026. Latest action: Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP1016) (April 22, 2026).

Where is the official record for SB543?

On the Virginia Legislature website: https://lis.virginia.gov/bill-details/20261/SB543

Virginia legislation · 2026 Regular Session

Virginia SB543: An Act to amend and reenact §§ 3.2-4118, 3.2-4126, 3.2-5145.2:1, 4.1-226, 4.1-227, 4.1-604, 8.01-216.3, 9.1-102, 58.1-3700, and 59.1-200 of the Code of Virginia and to amend the Code of Virginia by adding sections numbered 4.1-624.1 and 4.1-1106.1, by adding in Chapter 12 of Title 4.1 a section numbered 4.1-1201, and by adding in Chapter 13 of Title 4.1 a section numbered 4.1-1304, relating to marijuana and hemp products; enforcement.

Q: What is SB543?

SB543 is a bill in the Virginia Legislature (2026 Regular Session): An Act to amend and reenact §§ 3.2-4118, 3.2-4126, 3.2-5145.2:1, 4.1-226, 4.1-227, 4.1-604, 8.01-216.3, 9.1-102, 58.1-3700, and 59.1-200 of the Code of Virginia and to amend the Code of Virginia by adding sections numbered 4.1-624.1 and 4.1-1106.1, by adding in Chapter 12 of Title 4.1 a section numbered 4.1-1201, and by adding in Chapter 13 of Title 4.1 a section numbered 4.1-1304, relating to marijuana and hemp products; enforcement.

Q: What does SB543 do?

In its own words: An Act to amend and reenact §§ 3.2-4118, 3.2-4126, 3.2-5145.2:1, 4.1-226, 4.1-227, 4.1-604, 8.01-216.3, 9.1-102, 58.1-3700, and 59.1-200 of the Code of Virginia and to amend the Code of Virginia by adding sections numbered 4.1-624.1 and 4.1-1106.1, by adding in Chapter 12 of Title 4.1 a section numbered 4.1-1201, and by adding in Chapter 13 of Title 4.1 a section numbered 4.1-1304, relating to marijuana and hemp products; enforcement. [S 543] Approved April 22, 2026 1. That §§ 3.2-4118, 3.2-4126, 3.2-5145.2:1, 4.1-226, 4.1-227, 4.1-604, 8.01-216.3, 9.1-102, 58.1-3700, and 59.1-200 of the Code.

Status: Chaptered, April 22, 2026

Marijuana and hemp products; enforcement. Amends various provisions of law to increase enforcement and penalties related to the illegal sale of marijuana or marijuana products by persons licensed or permitted by the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority, and the Virginia Cannabis Control Authority (CCA). The bill requires the Board of Directors of the CCA (the Board) to create and require a decal for retail marijuana stores, microbusinesses, pharmaceutical processors, and cannabis dispensing facilities to prominently display on the premises of such establishments where marijuana, marijuana products, marijuana paraphernalia, immature marijuana plants, or marijuana seeds are sold to consumers that allows consumers to electronically verify the validity of such establishment's license or permit from the Board. The bill requires such decal to be displayed with a civil penalty of $10,000 for each day that such decal is not displayed in the establishment. The bill also creates a $10,000 civil penalty for creating or falsifying such decal. The bill allows the Board to issue a notice of violation and order to cease unlicensed activity to any person who is engaged in the cultivation, processing, distribution, or selling of marijuana or marijuana products in violation of current law, and if the Board issues such notice and order, it may also order the seizure of such marijuana or marijuana products. Any person who intentionally removes such notice and order or sticker without authorization of the Board is subject to a civil penalty prescribed by the Board, not to exceed $5,000. The bill specifies that the Chief Executive Officer of the Board or investigators appointed by him shall be sworn to enforce the provisions of the Cannabis Control Act and Board regulations and have the authority to investigate violations of the statutes and regulations the CCA is required to enforce. The bill also requires the Board to establish, advertise, and administer a tip line, which may be accessed by phone and by internet, for members of the public to anonymously report concerns about, or suspected instances of, illicit retail marijuana practices. The bill revises certain provisions related the assessment of civil penalties against manufacturers and sellers of certain industrial hemp extracts and foods containing industrial hemp extracts. Effective November 1, 2026, the bill also creates a civil action pursuant to the Virginia Fraud Against Taxpayers Act and makes it a prohibited practice under the Virginia Consumer Protection Act to sell or offer for sale a substance intended for human consumption, orally or by inhalation, that (i) contains more than 0.3 percent total tetrahydrocannabinol or (ii) contains more than two milligrams of total tetrahydrocannabinol per package. The bill requires the Department of Criminal Justice Services to establish compulsory minimum and in-service training standards for law-enforcement officers on the enforcement of the Cannabis Control Act and certain provisions of law related to hemp by January 1, 2027. Additionally, the bill requires the Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security and the Secretary of Health and Human Resources to convene a work group to analyze the current efforts in the Commonwealth to combat the sale of illicit cannabis products and submit a report of its findings and recommendations to the Chairs of the House Committees on Appropriations, on General Laws, and for Courts of Justice and the Senate Committees on Finance and Appropriations, on General Laws and Technology, on Rehabilitation and Social Services, and for Courts of Justice by October 1, 2026.

What the bill says

From the enrolled text, April 22, 2026:

An Act to amend and reenact §§ 3.2-4118, 3.2-4126, 3.2-5145.2:1, 4.1-226, 4.1-227, 4.1-604, 8.01-216.3, 9.1-102, 58.1-3700, and 59.1-200 of the Code of Virginia and to amend the Code of Virginia by adding sections numbered 4.1-624.1 and 4.1-1106.1, by adding in Chapter 12 of Title 4.1 a section numbered 4.1-1201, and by adding in Chapter 13 of Title 4.1 a section numbered 4.1-1304, relating to marijuana and hemp products; enforcement. [S 543] Approved April 22, 2026 1. That §§ 3.2-4118, 3.2-4126, 3.2-5145.2:1, 4.1-226, 4.1-227, 4.1-604, 8.01-216.3, 9.1-102, 58.1-3700, and 59.1-200 of the Code of Virginia are amended and reenacted and that the Code of Virginia is amended by adding sections numbered 4.1-624.1 and 4.1-1106.1, by adding in Chapter 12 of Title 4.1 a section numbered 4.1-1201, and by adding in Chapter 13 of Title 4.1 a section numbered 4.1-1304 as violations. A. The Commissioner shall deny the application, or suspend or revoke the registration, of any person who, with a culpable mental state greater than negligence, (i) violates any provision of this article or (ii) has repeatedly violated any provisions of the Cannabis Control Act (§ 4.1-600 et seq.) by, without displaying a decal as required pursuant to § 4.1-1106.1, engaging in the illegal sale of marijuana or marijuana products on the registered premises or marketing or labeling products as marijuana …

What the bill says

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