“While today’s news comes as a welcome relief for West Virginians, it is far too little too late for the tens of thousands of patients who have suffered needlessly in the interim as politicians and regulators largely dragged their feet,” NORML State Policies Manager Carly Wolf said.
Today, the majority of US states regulate medical cannabis access and 18 have legalized adult use. Arguably, none of these political and cultural advancements would have been possible without the success of California’s 1996 campaign and the efforts of those activists who worked so hard for the law’s passage a quarter of a century ago.
Republican Gov. Tate Reeves appears to have backed off a pledge to hold a special legislative session this fall to enact medical cannabis legalization. Lawmakers reached consensus on a medical marijuana bill in September, but the Governor has refused to take any further action on it.
“When it comes to addressing questions specific to the safety and therapeutic efficacy of cannabis, this publication provides the evidence that patients and their physicians – as well as lawmakers – need to know.”
The proposed rules, which must undergo a 60-day public comment period, permit the cultivation of up to six cannabis plants per private residence. The regulations will take effect once the public comment period has ended and the Board has finalized its language.
It’s been weeks since the initial request, and the governor continues to stall.
Regulations for home cultivation by registered medical cannabis patients still have not been established.
Subcommittee members decided 6 to 4 to eliminate the ability for qualified patients to home-cultivate marijuana. Nearly 70 percent of voters decided in favor of the ballot Measure (Measure 26) last November, which allows patients to either obtain cannabis from state-licensed dispensaries or to grow it themselves.