Marijuana Company Sues DoorDash, Total Wine And Others Over Alleged Illegal Sales Of Hemp THC Products

Virginia hemp THC lawsuit: a shot fired across the bow in a market that runs on loopholes and late-night deliveries. Dalitso LLC, a subsidiary of multi-state operator Jushi Holdings, just dragged DoorDash, Total Wine, and a handful of others into a Virginia courtroom, alleging they’ve been peddling hemp-derived products that blow past the Commonwealth’s limits—2 milligrams THC per package under the state’s “Total THC” standard—and doing it without the guardrails licensed cannabis operators live and die by. The suit reads like a bouncer’s list of who doesn’t get in: gummies, drinks, and extracts disguised as “hemp,” allegedly sold outside regulated dispensaries, unfairly undercutting a medical cannabis market built on testing, tracking, and taxes. Jushi wants a jury, a reckoning, and more than $80 million in damages. That’s not a tantrum. That’s an opening bid.

The rules changed—and the market didn’t get the memo

You can trace this mess back to the 2018 Farm Bill, the federal green light that legalized hemp with up to 0.3 percent delta-9 THC by dry weight. Chemists and entrepreneurs raced in, spinning up intoxicating hemp derivatives and lab-crafted cannabinoids that managed to stay just within the letter—or the commas—of federal law. Virginia slammed the brakes in 2023, imposing a strict 2 mg Total THC cap per package for products sold outside licensed dispensaries and drawing a bright line between over-the-counter “hemp” and regulated cannabis. On paper, clean and simple. In practice, the line bled. Adult-use possession is legal, but retail sales are still banned. That vacuum became a marketplace—and according to this lawsuit, a staging ground for an unregulated arms race dressed up as wellness snacks. The complaint doesn’t mince words:

“Disguised as lawful ‘hemp,’ these products are, in reality, potent and dangerous forms of marijuana, offered without the mandatory safeguards, testing, or oversight that the Commonwealth imposes on licensed cannabis operators.”

• Virginia’s rule: a Total THC cap for non-dispensary sales and tight controls in medical dispensaries, including testing, packaging, and seed-to-sale tracking.
• The alleged reality: intoxicating hemp gummies and beverages exceeding that cap, slipping into mainstream retail and delivery channels.
• The stakes: consumer safety, fair competition, and whether policy runs the market—or the market runs policy.

Convenience meets compliance—then things get loud

DoorDash moved into hemp-derived THC and CBD products in select states earlier this year, partnering with retailers, including Total Wine. The idea was obvious: meet demand with the same frictionless ease that moves pad thai and power tools. But cannabis regulation isn’t on-demand. Licensed operators pay steep licensing fees, endure compliance audits, and hang their margins on lab results and lot numbers. The complaint argues intoxicating hemp sellers skirt all that while chasing the same customers. The result? A two-tier reality in the Virginia cannabis market: regulated medical players who spend on safety and accountability, and a shadow of “hemp” vendors whose products may hit harder, cost less, and answer to fewer people. However the jury sees it, the core conflict is bigger than one lawsuit—it’s the fight over who gets to sell psychoactive products, under what rules, and at what cost to patients and consumers.

Zoom out and you see the same tug-of-war everywhere. Attorneys general in dozens of states have pushed Congress to clarify the federal definition of hemp, especially around intoxicating products. One camp wants bans or hard caps; another wants studies, standards, and real pathways for compliant commerce. Even within hemp’s political birthplace, Kentucky, the schism is public: one senator pushes crackdowns while another offers a counter-move to study state models and even expand the allowable THC concentration in hemp. Meanwhile, retailers in places like Minnesota are tiptoeing into mainstream THC beverage sales, treating cannabis like any other functional drink, social lubrication in a can. None of that answers Virginia’s present-tense problem: a medical market boxed in, adult-use sales still illegal, and a flood of “hemp” filling the power vacuum with grins and gummies.

Here’s the uncomfortable truth: policy decisions have consequences you can measure in ER visits, balance sheets, and election results. Courts are weighing in, too, as seen when an Ohio court pumped the brakes on a statewide hemp crackdown—see Ohio Judge Extends Pause On Governor’s Hemp Product Ban. Public opinion keeps marching toward normalization; even in conservative strongholds, majorities want legal access, as new polling shows in the heartland—see Three In Five Kansans Back Legalizing Recreational Marijuana—And 70% Want Medical Cannabis—New Poll Finds. And the research is catching up to lived reality: when legal shops exist, heavy drinking dips—see Access To Legal Marijuana Shops Is Linked To Reduced Heavy Alcohol Drinking, Federally Funded Study Finds. Even the geopolitical storylines keep colliding with ours, with world leaders nudging American presidents toward legalization debates—see Trump pushed to legalize cannabis by Colombian president (Newsletter: October 28, 2025). When laws lag behind culture, the marketplace writes its own rules. That’s when lawsuits like this become not just industry skirmishes but roadmaps for what comes next.

So where does Virginia go from here? The legislature is flirting with a regulated adult-use market down the road, but every election and veto pen redraws the map. This lawsuit, win or lose, forces a reckoning: either the state enforces its Total THC standard and clamps down on intoxicating hemp sold outside dispensaries, or it opens the door to a broader legal market that undercuts the gray one by meeting demand with guardrails. Jushi says it isn’t out to kill compliant hemp; it wants a level field and a clear line. Consumers want something simpler: honesty about what’s in the bottle, a fair price, and the comfort of knowing the people selling it are accountable when things go sideways. Until the rules and the reality line up, expect more courtroom drama, more political theater, and a lot of products skating the edge. If you prefer transparent quality and crave the good stuff without the guesswork, pull up a chair at our table and explore our curated selection here: https://thcaorder.com/shop/.