08/13/2026
We started as a small v**e and smoke shop in 2016, just trying to build something of our own.
Then I found the 2018 Farm Bill and saw an opportunity to take what we had already built and grow it into something bigger. In 2019, I jumped in headfirst. I invested my savings, my time, my equipment, and years of my life into building a legitimate, regulated h**p business.
I followed the rules. I paid the fees. I got licensed. I invested in the equipment and learned everything I could.
And I’ve been waiting since 2021 for the opportunity to move into a legal cannabis market.
Today, I have the experience, the equipment, the retail location, the attached grow, and the knowledge.
What I don’t have is an answer for my customers.
I don’t know what the future of this market is going to look like, and sometimes I don’t know what to tell the people who walk through my door asking for products they genuinely need.
Because after all these years, one thing I’ve learned is that most people aren’t walking through my doors just trying to get high.
They’re trying to sleep.
They’re trying to manage pain.
They’re trying to find something that helps them get through the day.
And then there are people dealing with conditions like epilepsy who rely on these products even more.
I hear these stories. I know these people. They aren’t just customers to me.
That’s what makes all of this so frustrating.
I’ve spent years doing everything I was told to do, trying to build something the right way, while watching the rules and the market change around us.
I still believe there is a place for small businesses, legacy growers, and responsible operators in Virginia’s future.
I’m not giving up.
I’m still here. Still working. Still building. Still hoping that when the doors finally open, there will be room for the people who spent years preparing to walk through them.
I just hope the people who need these products most aren’t forgotten along the way.
**p ***r
NFSOT 21+
