West Virginia MMJ Bill Signed By Gov. Justice

Technically speaking, West Virginia is now a medical marijuana state.

Thanks to Gov. Jim Justice’s signature on SB 386, also known as the Creating WV Medical Cannabis Act, the Mountain State now has a (smoke-free) medical marijuana program.

As written, the Creating WV Medical Cannabis Act allows patients with the following conditions to qualify for the state’s program:

• Chronic or debilitating disease
• Palliative care/hospice
• Anorexia
• Wasting syndrome
• Cachexia
• Chronic pain that is non-responsive to standard pain medication
• Severe nausea
• Severe or persistent muscle spasms

Passed by the West Virginia House of Delegates after some “technical changes” on a 74-24 vote, the bill suffers some serious shortcomings for those cash-strapped qualifying patients. Called a “good first step” by some, the bill prohibits any smoking of the medicinal herb, bans patients from cultivating their own medicine, and establishes substantial fees for cultivators, dispensaries, and processors.

Initially passed by the West Virginia Senate on Wednesday, March 29 by a vote of 28-6, that iteration was considerably more patient friendly. The bill suffered drastic changes on its way through…