MORGANTOWN — The Monongalia County Board of Health is charged with protecting and promoting public health.
But when it comes to medical cannabis dispensaries, the state-defined role appointed to such bodies is more akin to cartographer.
The medical marijuana discussion sparked up again recently as the county’s board of health was asked to reaffirm a dispensary location at 2045 University Ave., a building known to many as the old Sunnyside Superette.
In doing so, the board can only consider whether the site is within 1,000 feet of a daycare center or any public, private or parochial school — the largest school in the state is not included.
“The caveat to that is West Virginia University does not count as any of those. I guess we’re not an educational university,” County Health Officer Lee Smith said.
The foregone formality of having to once again sign off on the location seemed particularly galling for a board of health that took a strong, if unpopular, stance in demanding rigorous oversight over such dispensaries.
Backed by testimony from pain management and addiction specialists at WVU, the board made its case and drafted its own set of local regulations, which included requirements like an on-site physician, pharmacist, physician assistant or nurse practitioner, as well as regulations pertaining to security, product storage and additional restrictions on dispensary locations, among other things.
This drew immediate pushback from the business community, and ultimately, the county and the state, which relegated boards of health to measuring the distance between parcels.
“Any government organization could’ve done this,” board member Toni DiChiacchio said. “I just think it’s really ill-advised to include a county health department, which is supposed to be endorsing public health policies, to get involved in this if that was going to be the only variable in which we measure.”
Board Chair Sam Chico has been the most outspoken critic of the state’s medical cannabis roll out. This case was no different.
He asked how the board could square the amount of Monongalia County Health Department time and resources being devoted to substance abuse issues and sign off on a form affirming a weed store in the middle of the highest density student housing district in Morgantown.
“No offense guys, but this is not medical marijuana and I don’t want anything to do with it,” Chico said, adding, “We are assisting the wolf that’s got sheep’s clothing into the hen house.”
Chico did not vote on the matter and said he would not sign the form, passing that duty to Vice Chair Donna Tennant.
Members of the board said they would like to receive input from local law enforcement on any crime data associated with the dispensaries or the diversion of products that the state says are only for prescribed individuals suffering with cancer, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, sickle cell anemia and a handful of other serious illnesses.
Along with the list of approved maladies, the state website also assists patients by linking to companies like Nugg MD, which will provide patient certification by telehealth.
Smith said the board always has the option to make its concerns known in Charleston.
“I think we’re pretty clear that it has a lot of downsides to it,” Smith said. “Right now, I think you’re up against the people who see the tax benefit versus ‘I don’t give a damn what happens to the students at WVU.’ If we are against it because it’s a public health issue, we can say that. I don’t think we need more substantiation that this is a problem.”
Of the 100 dispensary permits granted by the West Virginia Office of Medical Cannabis, 14 are in Monongalia County.
According to the WVOMC, there are currently 37 dispensaries operating in the state, including three in Morgantown, one in Westover and one in Granville.
Kanawha (6), Monongalia (5), Cabell (5), Harrison (4) and Wood (4) counties are the only counties with more than two dispensaries. There are no dispensaries in 40 of the state’s 55 counties.
