West Virginia Seeks $2 Million to Fund Medical Cannabis Program
When West Virginia legislators passed Senate Bill 386 in April, no estimates for the startup cost were given. Now state officials say a total upfront cost of $2 million will be needed to get West Virginia’s medical cannabis program up and running.
The estimate of $2 million was given by Dr. Rahul Gupta, a state health officer, during an interim health committee meeting at the state Capitol Monday. Members of both the state Senate and the House of Delegates were present.
Gupta, who also acts as commissioner for the state Department of Public Health and Human Resources’ Bureau for Public Health, told lawmakers that the Governor, Jim Justice, and the DHHR are considering paying for the costs through an internal loan and that their assistance would be needed in getting the money paid off through legislation.
A large portion of the cost stems from the implementation of an intricate seed-to-sale tracking system—estimated at $700,000. Gupta says this system will allow all cannabis production to be controlled, starting from the birth of seeds to the dispensing of products. West Virginia’s medical cannabis program has a starting goal of July, 2019, and it will annually require an estimated $800,000 to $1 million for the tracking system. It is hoped that revenue generated by medical cannabis through taxes and fees will cover the expense.
In preparation for 2019, state officials posted a job listing for the Director of the Office of Medical Cannabis on Monday. The director will be responsible for overseeing medical cannabis research and the operations of the state’s tracking system. The director of the office will report to the DHHR’s deputy commissioner, Barbara Taylor, who told the Charleston Gazette-Mail that medical cannabis has not been a focus of DHHR offices. “We are hoping to get someone with some expertise,” Taylor said.
With the passing of Senate Bill 386, West Virginia became the 30th state to legalize medical cannabis.
