Title:
Patients denied public hearing; sponsor offers study resolution
Message:
We are grateful for the efforts of Del. Mike Manypenny (D-Grafton), who introduced effective medical marijuana legislation in West Virginia for the second consecutive year. H.B. 4498 would have allowed seriously ill patients 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.
Yes, this is an outrage, but of course it’s not unusual for political leaders to shy away from a controversial issue in an election year. The refusal by a few delegates to place this bill on the agenda does not mean your emails and phone calls didn’t make an impact on legislators! And, of course, we aren’t stopping now.
To ensure that patients have their cases heard by the legislature, Del. Manypenny has shifted gears by offering a resolution, HCR 144, calling for the legislature to study medical marijuana more thoroughly.
Please contact your legislators and ask them to support HCR 144. A public hearing would have been great, but this resolution at least gives us an opportunity to educate legislators in advance of the next election. Let’s keep the information flowing!
