Talk with a Virginia-licensed practitioner from home. If cannabis may help, your certification is issued digitally — and a licensed dispensary is just up I-95 in Colonial Heights.
Visits are by telehealth, so anywhere in the area works. These are the communities we hear from most.
Virginia no longer requires a separate patient registration, so each step leads straight into the next.
Pick a time with a Virginia-licensed physician, physician assistant, or nurse practitioner who issues certifications.
Share your health history and symptoms by video. Your practitioner decides whether cannabis may benefit you.
Your certification is issued in the CCA Portal and valid for up to a year. Bring its QR code and your ID to the dispensary.
The closest licensed medical dispensary sits in Colonial Heights near Southpark Mall, a short drive from downtown Petersburg. Your certification also works at any other licensed location in Virginia — see the official CCA list.
“I work nights at the hospital, so being able to book a morning video visit made all the difference.”
— Denise W., Petersburg“The drive-thru pickup is a blessing on days my knees are bad.”
— Harold B., Colonial Heights“The practitioner explained everything before we started. No pressure at all.”
— Tasha M., HopewellVirginia doesn't publish a qualifying-condition list. Your practitioner decides whether you have a condition or disease that may benefit from cannabis.
Virginia-licensed MDs and DOs, physician assistants, and nurse practitioners jointly licensed by the Boards of Nursing and Medicine.
No. Virginia removed the patient registration requirement. Your certification plus a government-issued ID is what the dispensary checks.
Virginia accepts temporary residents. A lease or utility bill with your Virginia address can prove residency if your ID shows another state.
Not before July 1, 2027, and only for adults 21+. Until then, a medical certification is the only way to buy at a licensed dispensary.
On the Virginia Cannabis Control Authority website.
Petersburg grew at the falls of the Appomattox River and became one of Virginia's key trading towns. Its Pocahontas Island neighborhood is among the oldest free Black communities in the country, and the city's Old Towne district still holds brick streets and historic storefronts. Together with Colonial Heights and Hopewell, it forms the Tri-Cities. Residents follow the same statewide medical cannabis process as all Virginians.
Section 54.1-3408.3 of the Code of Virginia allows licensed physicians, physician assistants, and nurse practitioners to issue written certifications. The Virginia Cannabis Control Authority oversees the program and issues certifications through its CCA Portal.
Retail sales for adults 21+ may begin July 1, 2027, and the medical program is set to continue alongside them. Check the Cannabis Control Authority for updates.
Telehealth appointments with Virginia-licensed practitioners.
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