West Virginia governor’s race tackles recreational marijuana legalization

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WOWK) — The idea of legalizing recreational adult-use cannabis in West Virginia is now a 2024 campaign issue.

Democratic nominee for West Virginia governor Huntington Mayor Steve Williams came out in favor of legalizing pot.

Williams said voters should be able to decide the issue once and for all with a ballot initiative. He said legal pot in the Mountain State could be an important source of tax revenue.

“We can look to states like Colorado and California where cannabis legalization has spurred economic growth and created thousands of jobs. West Virginia can follow their lead to diversify our economy and attract new opportunities,” Williams said.

Attorney General Patrick Morrisey, the Republican nominee for governor, is opposed to legalizing adult-use marijuana.

Morrisey said in a statement from his campaign, “I’m laser-focused on doing everything we can to make sure we fight the opioid epidemic in WV. That means addressing the Chinese fentanyl coming in through the southern border and getting the victims the care they need. I’m not for adding more drugs into our state.”

Right now, our neighboring states of Ohio and Virginia have legalized recreational use, and Maryland has decriminalized marijuana use.

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