„As discussions continue about legalizing recreational marijuana and increasing medical use, we face the challenge of what impact this impact will have on our workforce,“ said Rebecca McPhail, president of the West Virginia Manufacturers Association. Meanwhile, three bills to support the legalization of recreational cannabis use for adults are currently active in the West Virginia House of Representatives and Senate. CHARLESTON, W.Va. – As American society slowly warms up at the prospect of legalizing marijuana, manufacturing companies are trying to strike a delicate balance. In March 2019, Governor Justice said he was „one hundred percent against recreational marijuana,“ but in March 2021, he indicated that his opposition was weakened and that he would be willing to sign a bill to legalize adults if lawmakers sent it to his office. Click here to send lawmakers a message urging them to support legalization. In August 2016, the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy released a detailed report examining the potential economic and fiscal impact of cannabis legalization in the state. They concluded that West Virginia could collect about $45 million in taxes and save $17 million currently spent on enforcement. The report also noted that „marijuana could potentially positively impact West Virginia`s opioid-based painkiller and heroin epidemic by offering a different, less addictive alternative for people with debilitating illnesses.“ West Virginia Gov.
Jim Justice caused a stir in early March when he raised the issue of legalizing recreational marijuana at a virtual town hall. On November 12, 2021, West Virginia`s first medical cannabis dispensary – Trulieve – opened in Morgantown. Since then, several other pharmacies have been opened. Locations can be found here. This was a long overdue moment, as West Virginia had the slowest adoption of medical cannabis in the country. The state legalized medical cannabis in 2017. For more information about the medical cannabis program in West Virginia, visit the Office of Medical Cannabis website. On April 19, 2017, Governor Jim Justice signed West Virginia`s Medical Cannabis Act, SB 386, making West Virginia the 29th state to pass a medical cannabis law. The bill passed the Senate by a vote of 28-6 and passed by the House by a vote of 76-24.
A summary of the Act as amended in 2019 and 2020 can be found here. On February 3, 2021, the Office of Medical Cannabis finally began allowing patients to enroll in the program. The state issued 100 pharmacy permits at the end of January. Initially, the law prohibited patients from obtaining cannabis in its natural and flourishing form. In 2018, an advisory council recommended allowing whole-plant cannabis, and in 2020, lawmakers added „dry leaf or plant form“ to the law by passing SB 339. The launch of the program was initially delayed due to concerns about who will provide banking services to the state`s medical cannabis program and medical cannabis businesses. U.S. District Attorney Mike Stuart exacerbated the problem by threatening to sue companies entering the medical cannabis space. To address these banking issues, the legislature passed HB 2538 in 2019, a law that allowed credit unions to bid on behalf of the state and sought to protect state employees from possible lawsuits. Governor Justice signed this bill. In 2019, lawmakers also passed SB 1037, a law that allowed for vertical integration of pharmacies and increased the number of pharmacies to 100.
Therefore, Governor Justice`s statement of support for the legalization measures approved by the House and Senate is particularly strong. The term „derivatives“ refers to all cannabinoids, terpenes, flavonoids, salts, isomers and salts of isomers. All Zone 52 products are supplied with batch-specific Certificates of Analysis that confirm their quality and purity. This article provides a comprehensive overview of marijuana laws in West Virginia. We explain when marijuana is legal in the state and when you can expect penalties for possession and other marijuana-related activities. You`ll also learn about the federal legal alternative to marijuana in West Virginia — and where to find it. Buying Delta-8 THC online offers several benefits that you won`t find in traditional hemp stores. If you are a medical marijuana patient, you can order online at a medical marijuana dispensary, but there is no delivery service. You or your caregiver will have to pick it up, which still saves you time since you don`t have to wait in line. Marijuana enthusiasts may consider themselves unhappy if they live in West Virginia.