Lawmakers weigh recreational cannabis plan as separate bill would reclassify marijuana

Описание: Democratic lawmakers in West Virginia are continuing their push to legalize recreational marijuana, arguing the state is falling behind neighboring states that have already moved forward.

Del. Sean Hornbuckle, D-Cabell, is leading House Joint Resolution 37, a proposed constitutional amendment that would allow the possession, manufacture and sale of cannabis in West Virginia. The resolution remains in the committee process.

Hornbuckle said legalization could help grow the state’s population, reduce black market sales and generate significant tax revenue.

“We’ve seen in Ohio just in February and January alone, $35 million in tax revenues. That’s a ton of money,” Hornbuckle said. “We want to make sure we’re able to enjoy that as well.”

Under the proposal, voters would ultimately decide the issue if lawmakers approve placing the constitutional amendment on the ballot.

Meanwhile, Sen. Tom Takubo, R-Kanawha, is proposing a different approach.

Takubo’s bill, Senate Bill 839, would reclassify marijuana under state law, moving it from a Schedule I drug to a Schedule III drug. The measure has been referred to the Senate Health Committee for consideration.

The change would not legalize recreational marijuana but would align state law more closely with recent federal guidance and could ease financial and regulatory hurdles for medical cannabis businesses.

“We allowed medical cannabis to come in the state, but it’s still very difficult for operators to get loans for businesses to put their operations up,” Takubo said. “It also has frozen our tax revenue that we’ve gotten from medical cannabis because that is in conflict with federal law.”

Takubo, a pulmonologist, said his concerns are less about the drug itself and more about how it is used. When asked whether he would support full legalization, he stopped short.

“That would be tough,” Takubo said. “I do think there’s medical purposes. But just like anything, there’s potential for abuses of anything, including cannabis.”

Hornbuckle, however, said incremental changes are no longer enough and warned that West Virginia risks missing out if it does not act soon.

“We’ve been pushing this for a long time,” Hornbuckle said. “And the whole time we were pushing this, these other states around us, they didn’t have these programs. We’ve been beating on this drum for a long time. It’s time to quit playing.”

FULL STORY: https://wchstv.com/news/local/lawmake...
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