Patients, advocates gear up for successful effort in 2013
For the last two years, Del. Mike Manypenny (D-Taylor) has introduced effective medical marijuana legislation in West Virginia. These compassionate bills would have allowed patients with a wide variety of serious, debilitating conditions, such as cancer, HIV/AIDS, glaucoma, multiple sclerosis, Crohn’s disease, and severe pain, nausea, seizures, and spasms to use medical marijuana if recommended by their doctors.
Sadly, Del. Manypenny’s bill was once again denied a public hearing by the House Health and Human Resources Committee in 2012. However, patients and advocates are not willing to take "no" for an answer. MPP and its allies have been preparing for 2013 with renewed vigor, kicking off efforts with a successful public forum held December 11, 2012.
If you live in West Virginia, please contact your legislators and ask them to support the medical marijuana bill.
If you are supportive and are a medical professional, a seriously ill patient who might benefit from medical marijuana, a law enforcement official, a clergy member, or a member of the legal community, or you know someone else that is, please email msimon@mpp.org to see how you can be of special help. Please be sure to include your address or nine-digit ZIP code so we can help you identify your elected officials.
Learn more about West Virginia’s marijuana laws
West Virginia ranks fourth in the nation (tied with nine other states) for the harshest maximum sentences for possession of an ounce of marijuana, and African Americans in West Virginia are arrested for marijuana possession at nearly seven times the rate of whites. You can learn more about West Virginia’s marijuana laws by reading this short report by Jon Gettman, PhD. Please write to your legislators and ask them to stop arresting people for possessing marijuana, or ask them to end marijuana prohibition entirely.
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