West Virginia Senator Introduces Medical Cannabis Bill
Lawmakers in West Virginia are eager to bring medical cannabis to their home state. Senator Robert Ojeda (D-Logan) introduced a bill that would legalize cannabis for medicinal purposes in West Virginia. Senate Bill 386 is also known as the West Virginia Medical Cannabis Act.
The proposed bill was co-sponsored by senators Robert Beach, Douglas Facemire, Ronald Miller, Corey Palumbo, Mike Romano, Patricia Rucker, Ron Stollings, Chandler Swope, Mike Woelfel and Greg Boso.
The bill would create a cannabis commission that would oversee procedures and guidelines. The commission would be tasked with creating the West Virginia Cannabis Fund which the commission would oversee. The commission would include the secretary of the Department of Health and Human Resources, the commissioner of the Department of Agriculture, and 13 other governor-appointed members. One member would be selected by the West Virginia Association of Alcohol and Drug Counselors, and two members of the public who support medical cannabis. It would also include three licensed physcians, a nurse practitioner, a scientist who has studied medical cannabis, a representative of the state Bar association, a representative of law enforcement, a horticulturist and an attorney with experience in medical cannabis law.
The bill invites registed physicians to approve medical cannabis for a number of conditions including AIDS-related wasting syndrome, nausea and seizures and spasms. “The commission may approve applications that include any other condition that is severe and for which other medical treatments have been ineffective if the symptoms reasonably can be expected to be relieved by the medical use of cannabis,” the bill reads.
Under the proposal, Marshall University’s Forensic Science Center would serve as the primary laboratory testing center. Those who wish to participate in the program would be subject to a national background check and be responsible for the background check fees. The bill would create a new offense for anyone that is caught distributing, possessing, manufacturing or using cannabis for non-medical reasons. The bill is now headed to the Health and Human Resources Committee and then on to the Judiciary Committee.
