Every July 1, the Virginia General Assembly effects new laws that have been passed. Here’s a summary of some of the major ones:
Alcoholic Beverage Control: Retailers with alcohol licenses will be able to advertise happy hours while including the prices of certain alcoholic beverages in these advertisements and will have greater creative license in such advertising, as long as it does not lead to overconsumption or illegal consumption.
Tobacco Sales: Individuals under 21 years of age will no longer be allowed to purchase products with nicotine. Previously, retailers could sell tobacco and vape products to individuals who were at least 18 years of age.
Agriculture: Industrial hemp cannot be destroyed unless its THC level exceeds 0.6 percent.
Criminal Offenses (dissemination/sale of images): In a nutshell, individuals creating deepfakes are in trouble. The definition of “deepfake” is somewhat contested and can cover a broad range of audio and visual components, but generally, it refers to editing audio or visuals using AI/machine learning. This law prohibits the dissemination of video or images that have been edited “with the intent to depict an actual person who is recognizable” (Inside NoVA). Deepfakes have become a point of concern particularly for the ease with which they can now be created.
Read more about these and other laws that were passed.
