MORGANTOWN – While West Virginia has yet to see any medical cannabis sold, the 5-year-old program took another small step forward Thursday with the addition of edible cannabis to the list of permissible forms that can be dispensed.
Current law will allow medical cannabis to be dispensed in the form of pills, oils, topical, nebulizer or vaporizer (excluding dry leaf), tincture, liquid or dermal patch.
SB 590, approved by the Senate Health Committee Thursday, adds edible form. Comments by Sen. Mike Azinger, R-Wood, inspired an amendment to the bill to protect young kids.
Azinger reminded his colleagues that he’s always opposed medical cannabis. “I’ve always believed intuitively and empirically … that medical marijuana is kicking the door down for recreational.”
Azinger read some statistics compiled by a group called Smart Approaches to Marijuana. Child exposure among kids age 5 and under in marijuana-legal states is up 147.5%. Accidental ingestion makes up 75% of those exposures, and kids under 3 make up 78% of those accidental ingestions.
Smoking medical marijuana, he said, puts it immediately into the bloodstream, while eating it delays absorption from 30 minutes to three hours. That may lead some to think the edible form isn’t working and eat more. And because the edible forms come in appealing shapes and forms like traditional foods, kids can mistake them for treats and eat them.
Following Azinger’s comments, a couple other senators asked committee counsel if the bill addresses this. Counsel said the Bureau of Public Health would deal with specifics of forms and child-safe packaging in rule making.
Sen. Ryan Weld, R-Brooke, then offered an amendment drawn from Colorado’s law. It was conceptual and the precise wording will be worked out, but it will say in effect that edible medical cannabis products may not be shaped like humans, animals, fruit or any other form that might entice children.
The amendment passed unanimously, and the amended bill then passed in a voice vote with no audible votes against.
SB 590 now heads to the Senate floor.
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