Chesterfield is taking its first steps toward regulating where recreational marijuana can be sold in the county, paving the way for future dispensaries.

The Planning Commission unanimously voted Tuesday night to begin the process of amending its zoning ordinance to regulate where cannabis shops can be located. If the commission comes up with rules this fall, the county Board of Supervisors could make a final decision before February 2027 — when the state is expected to begin accepting license applications.

Earlier this year, the Virginia General Assembly allowed the sale of non-medical marijuana beginning on July 1, 2027. The state also laid out some rules of where sales can occur, prohibiting them within 1,000 feet of schools, hospitals, playgrounds and drug treatment facilities. The Cannabis Control Authority will be the state’s regulatory body and will approve licenses.

Chesterfield is the latest Central Virginia locality to start this process, following Henrico and Hanover County.

While localities can’t pass laws that’ll outright ban the sale of marijuana, they can go further than the state prohibitions to regulate shop locations through zoning. 

During her Tuesday evening presentation to the commission, Chesterfield Principal Planner Summer Hobson said applicants aren’t required to notify the county of their intent to set up shop until the state approves their license. If Chesterfield disagrees, it has 30 days to object so long as there’s justification, which could include a conflict with local zoning.

“That’s why having an ordinance in place before Feb. 1 is important,” Hobson said.

Currently, Chesterfield doesn’t know what its spin will look like. Planners will come up with possible regulations, and the Planning Commission will hold a public hearing in December on them before forwarding a recommendation to the Board of Supervisors.

Although medical cannabis sales and adult possession are legal in Virginia under certain conditions, retail sales will remain illegal until July 1.

In the meantime, a Chesterfield spokesperson said the county will offer opportunities for input before a December public hearing — particularly on how retail cannabis businesses could be integrated into surrounding communities. The commission’s November work session will also include time to review potential regulations.

The proposal comes almost exactly four years after Chesterfield rejected an effort by Virginia-based cannabis company Green Leaf to open a location on Midlothian Turnpike. The company operates medical dispensaries in Richmond and Henrico County, all under the “Ayr” name. Currently, there aren’t licensed dispensaries in Chesterfield.

In 2022, Richmond BizSense reported that Chesterfield opposed the proposed location because the business intended to dispense marijuana, which was illegal under federal law and prohibited by the county’s zoning code at the time. While the federal side hasn’t changed since then, state-level changes have reopened the conversation.

Contact Eleanor Shaw at eshaw@richmonder.org. She is a Report for America corps member.