Federal prosecutors on Thursday charged Virginia Senate President Pro Tem Louise Lucas (D) with an alleged marijuana distribution, racketeering and money laundering conspiracy. The charges stem from a cannabis business Lucas runs that purports to sell legal hemp products but which DOJ alleges sold illegal marijuana.
Attorney General Todd Blanche and FBI Director Kash Patel announced the prosecution at a high-profile press conference. A reporter at the event asked why the marijuana-related case was being announced in such a prominent manner while the Trump administration is simultaneously moving to federally reschedule cannabis.
Blanche said there had been public reporting about the investigation for many months, which is why officials determined a press conference was appropriate. He noted Lucas has been a member of the Virginia Senate since roughly 1990.
Blanche emphasized that the prosecution does not signal federal interference with state cannabis laws. “There’s a lot more alleged in the RICO conspiracy than just legally selling marijuana,” the attorney general said, “Indeed, if that was all that was the investigation uncovered, we would not be here.”
“This isn’t about a citizen in Virginia lawfully getting a license, lawfully opening a shop that sells lawfully manufactured marijuana under the state laws of Virginia,” he said. “To the contrary, the indictment alleges something very, very different than that.”
“This isn’t about us trying to micromanage states’ decisions about the marijuana laws,” Blanche said. He acknowledged that the administration is going through a process at the federal level with marijuana laws.
Blanche said describing the case as a marijuana prosecution is “a very simplistic way to say it.” He added that he and Patel have a responsibility to be open and transparent with the American people about charges the department brings.
Blanche said the Justice Department will not continue to speak about the case beyond the charges as alleged in the indictment. He said the public has a right to hear from the department at times like this.
Virginia legalized recreational marijuana possession and home cultivation in 2021. The state did not pass legislation to provide for regulated sales of adult-use cannabis until this year, and no licenses have yet been awarded for retailers.
The case now proceeds on the charges laid out in the federal indictment. Blanche’s comments mark the department’s most direct statement that the prosecution does not represent a broader crackdown on state marijuana programs.
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