West Virginia advocates collecting signatures for decriminalization ballots

A West Virginia cannabis advocacy group called Charleston Can’t Wait recently collected signatures to put a decriminalization measure to the vote in Fairmount and Charleston this November.

The organization is affiliated with West Virginia Can’t Wait, which is led by former 2020 gubernatorial nominee Stephen Smith. Described as “a movement to win popular government in the Mountain State,” it seeks to support political candidates who represent the people of West Virginia and do not accept donations from corporations or the fossil fuel industry.

Charleston Can’t Wait is on track to collect the required 2,000 signatures for its decriminalization efforts by July 14. On May 27, the organization’s Facebook page reported an update on the overwhelming support from local residents. “We’re a whole bunch of signatures closer tonight! Why? Because almost every single person we ask says YES,” the organization said on its social media.

If the law changes, those caught in possession of cannabis would face a fine similar to a speeding ticket. “So that is the aim and essentially the regulation that we have would suffice. It’s commonly referred to as ‘No fines, no time and no court costs,'” said Sarah Hutson, director of West Virginia Can’t Wait.

Charleston Can’t Wait wants to collect 3,000 signatures in Fairmount, according to Times West Virginia. Only 2,010 are required, which is 15% of the city’s 13,402 residents, but they currently have fewer than 100 signatures. However, only 1,919 valid signatures are required in Charleston, and over 1,000 signatures have been collected to date.

“In Charleston’s charter, you don’t have to pre-fil to have a ballot initiative, you just start collecting signatures and file them at the end,” Hutson said. “While here in Fairmont you actually have to start with a committee of five people who are responsible for the petition and have each of them sign an affidavit, the format of the signature collection is dictated by the city.”

Fairmount was chosen as a focus location because the organization was founded there back in 2020 with Smith’s candidacy for governor. For Hutson, however, it was a matter of local support. “We didn’t really choose Fairmont, Fairmont chose us.”

West Virginia passed a medical cannabis law in 2017, which Gov. Jim Justice signed into law. However, the state did not open license registration until May 2021, which initially started with 1,400 applicants and quickly grew to 4,000 by November 2021. West Virginia welcomed the opening of its first pharmacy in Morgantown in November 2021.

The introduction of medicinal cannabis dispensaries has continued, albeit not at a fast pace. Seven out of 10 growers are currently operating, according to West Virginia Public Broadcasting, but only 17 out of 100 dispensaries in the state are currently open.

Johnny McFadden, co-founder of Mountaineer Integrated Care, stated that the state’s 17 dispensaries are insufficient to service the state’s many medical cannabis patients. “Unfortunately, they’re not widespread, especially the eastern panhandle,” said, “You look at the map, there’s nothing there, and that’s a major barrier to patient access right now.” To date, the West Virginia Office of Medical Cannabis has received 10,031 patient applications for medicinal cannabis.

McFadden added that the desire to hire local staff has caused some delays. “As a potential employee, there’s no way you can have legal cannabis experience unless you’re breaking the law, which makes it difficult to put that on a resume,” McFadden said.

Charleston Can’t Wait advocates hold regular awareness and signature collection events almost every weekend between now and July 14th.