Interview with Michael Williamson, Plant Manager of an 80,000-square-foot hydroponic center in Colorado. Hear his story and how a Desalitech ReFlex RO system has helped his cannabis cultivation facility improve efficiency and ROI.
Michael is now the Chief Operating Officer of Catalyst BC and has consulted on numerous cannabis cultivation facilities.
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Latest Articles
- Virginia Cannabis Cultivation License (2027): The Tiered System Explained
For operators whose strength is growing cannabis, Virginia’s emerging adult-use market presents a significant opportunity – and a cultivation license is the gateway to it. The June 2026 framework authorizes the Virginia Cannabis Control Authority (CCA) to begin accepting license applications on or after February 1, 2027 and issuing licenses on or after May 1, 2027. It also establishes five cultivation tiers with maximum canopies ranging from 5,000 to 35,000 square feet. - Virginia Impact Cannabis License (2027): Social Equity & the Equity Business Loan Fund
Virginia’s adult-use cannabis framework creates a meaningful pathway for applicants from communities and backgrounds affected by cannabis prohibition and enforcement. The law does not create a separate, stand-alone impact license. Instead, it creates an impact-licensee designation that qualifying applicants may pursue alongside an underlying marijuana establishment license, such as retail, cultivation, processing, microbusiness, transportation, delivery, or testing. - Virginia Cannabis Microbusiness License (2027): Eligibility & the Two-Location Model
This guide explains the initial eligibility pathways for the licenses the CCA may issue by May 1, 2027, the difference between a microbusiness license and an impact designation, the indoor and outdoor cultivation limits, the precise rules governing two locations, and the financial, security, and operational readiness standards applicants should prepare to demonstrate. Several implementation details – including fees and the specific combination of privileges the CCA will authorize – still depend on forthcoming regulations. - Virginia Dual-Use Cannabis Conversion (2027): The $10M Medical-to-Adult-Use Pathway
For Virginia’s existing medical cannabis operators, the 2026 retail framework created a distinct and high-stakes transition: pharmaceutical processors may apply for verification to exercise dual-use privileges and serve both registered medical patients and adult-use customers. The pathway covers the processor and its permitted cannabis dispensing facilities, and it carries a one-time $10 million fee, a required medical cannabis program preservation plan, an impact-licensee business accelerator commitment, and a firm May 1, 2027 payment or installment-plan deadline. - Virginia Cannabis Facility Design & Build-Out for the 2027 Market
This guide covers the major considerations involved in planning and building a Virginia cannabis facility, with a focus on retail and cultivation operations and additional considerations relevant to processors and microbusinesses. It is written from the build side of the business, because that is where many otherwise-strong applicants stumble: they underestimate utility needs, local approvals, security infrastructure, commissioning, and the time required to convert a site into an inspection-ready operation. - How to Open a Dispensary in Virginia: The 2027 Retail Store License Guide
If you’ve been waiting for the chance to open a cannabis dispensary in Virginia, that chance is now real. With the General Assembly’s June 2026 approval of a regulated retail framework, Virginia is on track to begin adult-use sales on July 1, 2027, and the Cannabis Control Authority (CCA) is expected to open license applications on February 1, 2027.
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