Office of Medical Cannabis Story Archives - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

On 4/20, W.Va. Medical Marijuana Dispensaries Celebrate

The number “420” is a popular code for cannabis consumption. On April 20, medical marijuana dispensaries in West Virginia were having a holiday celebration with food trucks, coffee, donuts and product specials.

The number “420” is a popular code for cannabis consumption.

On April 20, medical marijuana dispensaries in West Virginia were having a holiday celebration with food trucks, coffee, donuts and product specials.

Myriah Weatherholt, general manager at Cabell County’s The Landing dispensary, said April 20 is special.

“It’s kind of like a holiday for us. So we’re very excited to see our patients today,” Weatherholt said. “This job really breeds a level of intimacy with your patients. Often, people come in here with debilitating pain, and they’re seeing their life being changed by a plant.”

Patients using dispensaries are examined by a state qualified physician and receive a medical marijuana card if found to suffer from one of a dozen or so debilitating illnesses, like cancer, epilepsy or chronic pain.

The Landing is one of a statewide dispensary chain. *Credit: Randy Yohe/West Virginia Public Broadcasting*

Alanya Ryan, marketing director at Huntington’s Terraleaf dispensary, said any public misnomer that these are places to get pot and get high couldn’t be further from the truth.

“It’s the opioid capital of the world here in Huntington,” Ryan said, “We’re trying to get people off of opioids. And we’re successfully doing that. This is medication. This is a plant that grows in the ground. And it’s tested.”

Dispensary patient James Couch said he was using opioids to treat chronic pain and PTSD. He said using non-addictive marijuana has saved his life.

“It’s something that you can do and have an immediate release in the effect from, and I can put it down anytime,” Couch said. “It helps relieve my mind and takes my focus off a lot of my pain issues.”

The Landing, Terraleaf and other dispensaries around the state often bring physicians on site to help inform and recruit new patients. The highly state regulated facilities have medical counselors and education centers to help determine what strain of medical marijuana will best treat a certain condition.

“Sativa tends to give people a little bit of an energy boost. It’s good for daytime pain relief,” Weatherholt said. “And indica is going to be more of a heavy body feel that’s going to be a nighttime pain relief.”

Myriah Weatherholt (right) speaks with a coworker of The Landing. Credit: *Randy Yohe/West Virginia Public Broadcasting*

Medical marijuana can be purchased in the form of flowers, tinctures, topicals and vapes. The state does not allow edibles. Ryan explained the growing processes help develop certain specific medical qualities, along with the general strains of Sativa, Indica and hybrids.

There are terpenes in each of the strains, she said. “It’s the essential oil of the plant that gives cannabis its properties with each of the strains. There might be a strain with a high percentage of Burstein, and that’s great for somebody with chronic pain, because it’s high in myrcene and it’s great for reducing inflammation.”

There are 48 state dispensaries, 10 in the Huntington area alone, and 21,000 West Virginians with medical marijuana cards. The industry is competitive, with billboards, specials and loyalty points. But Ryan said it’s about relieving pain as much as growing a patient base.

“We want patients to be able to get medicine wherever they want,” Ryan said. “If they want to check out the competition, we encourage that and we support all of them.”

Terraleaf was Huntington’s first Medical Marijuana dispensary. Credit: *Randy Yohe/West Virginia Public Broadcasting*

Weatehrholt said several new patients registered at The Landing on April 20. She said the competition is healthy, both figuratively and literally.

“There are definitely more and more dispensaries opening,” she said. “That’s a positive sign that the program is growing, and that it’s working. We may have people that can’t inhale or vaporize, and they’re looking more for a capsule. We don’t always have those in stock, so I can send them to another store and say, hey, this place has the medicine you need. Sure it’s competitive, but I think that we are all in it for the same reason – we all just want to help patients get relief.”

So, on “420,” dispensaries and their patients celebrate.

State Medical Cannabis Industry Still Growing

It’s been more than five years since the West Virginia Legislature approved the use of medical cannabis in West Virginia. Dispensaries are opening across the state, but the industry is still in its infancy.

The first medical cannabis dispensary in West Virginia opened in Morgantown in November 2021. Since then, the state has slowly but surely built up its capacity to serve patients.

In an email to West Virginia Public Broadcasting, Jason Frame, director of the state’s Office of Medical Cannabis (OMC), said that seven of the state’s 10 licensed cultivators are now operational, but only 17 of a potential 100 licensed dispensaries are open.

Those dispensaries are not evenly distributed across the state. The Morgantown area alone has four operational dispensaries, with another set to open any day.

“Unfortunately, they’re not spread out, especially the Eastern Panhandle.” said Johnny McFadden, co-founder of Mountaineer Integrated Care. “You look at the map, there’s nothing, and that is a huge barrier to patient access right now.”

He hopes to fill the gap in the Eastern Panhandle in the coming months with the opening of a dispensary in Ravenswood.

West Virginia is in the process of building the entire infrastructure for medical cannabis from the ground up. Until last year, there was no growing know-how in the state. Not any obtained legally, at least.

“It’s our prerogative to hire local,” McFadden said. “You couldn’t possibly have legal cannabis experience as a potential employee, unless you’re breaking the law, which makes it tough to put it on a resume.”

This puts larger, nationally established companies at an advantage. They can draw on years of growing experience in other legal markets, as well as existing genetic libraries. However, even the bigger companies can’t shortcut nature.

“It takes months for the plant to be grown,” said Drew Bayley. He is the director of operations for the Midwest for Columbia Care, which retails under the brand name Cannabist. They operate in 18 states, as well as the European Union.

“At our facility, we have to be really on top of our processes and procedures,” Bayley said. “In a medical market like West Virginia, it’s really important that you’re always thinking six steps ahead.”

The exterior of the newly opened Cannabist dispensary on Don Knotts Boulevard in Morgantown, operated by Columbia Care.

It’s never easy to know how much of any product a market might demand months in advance. That’s doubly true of a new market where new consumers need to be licensed by the state.

“So you have a little bit less flexibility there, you have patients depending on you,” Bayley said. “If you don’t plan ahead, it’s really easy to throw yourself off in the future.”

Via email, Frame acknowledged that there was a shortage of medical cannabis products during the initial launch of dispensaries in West Virginia, but said that the problem was quickly resolved.

Growth is certainly a watchword in the industry. In the seven months since Florida-based cannabis company Trulieve opened the state’s first dispensary, the Office of Medical Cannabis reports that medical cannabis product sales have totaled nearly $5 million.

“No pun intended, we’re growing,” said Heather Peairs, the West Virginia area manager for Trulieve.

With plenty of money to be made, and a lot of space to grow, there is a sense of collaboration that pervades the state’s burgeoning industry.

“You have to realize that everyone in the state is new from Trulieve being new to the state to our growth facility to the Office of Medical Cannabis, the labs that are testing, everybody’s new,” Peairs said. “We’re all growing together.”

Ultimately, everyone involved in West Virginia’s cannabis industry is involved for one simple reason: to help patients.

“So our cultivation is continuously looking at, ‘What is it that our patients are really looking for in West Virginia?’” Peairs said. “It’s a true medical state. Our patients are looking for relief.”

West Virginia’s laws specify a limited number of conditions for the use of medical cannabis, many of which are either terminal or entail chronic pain and discomfort.

“We’re all working to build this industry from the ground up, because that’s what our permits give us the privilege to do,” McFadden said. “Anything that is better for the patients from us or any company, we’re happy to see.”

West Virginia Opens Training For Medical Cannabis Owners, Employees

Those working in West Virginia’s medical cannabis industry will need to undergo two hours of online training. The training is the latest step toward getting the state’s years-delayed program operational.

The West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources’ Office of Medical Cannabis announced Tuesday that the online training is now available.

All owners and employees engaged in the growing, processing or distribution of medical cannabis must complete the two-hour online course approved by the office.

“Industry training is an essential step in making medical cannabis products available to West Virginians with serious medical conditions,” said Jason Frame, director of the Office of Medical Cannabis, in a news release. “We continue to work toward the goal of providing eligible state residents with the ability to safely access medical cannabis as quickly as possible.”

Course participants will be educated regarding West Virginia medical cannabis law, rules and policies, as well as a variety of other subjects related to the industry. Successful completion requires participants to pass each training section with a rate of 80 percent.

The training is being offered by Green Flower, a Ventura, California-based company. The cost is $147 per employee.

The state’s medical cannabis law was passed in 2017, but has suffered some delays due to existing federal law. It allows for residents with qualifying medical conditions to make use of some non-smokable forms of the drug.

W.Va. To Accept Medical Marijuana Lab Permits Indefinitely

Efforts to provide qualifying West Virginians with medical cannabis are underway with new developments, three years after the Medical Cannabis Act was signed into law.

The West Virginia Office of Medical Cannabis is accepting permit applications for medical cannabis labs after previously closing this process on Feb. 18.

Medical cannabis processors, dispensaries, growers and labs had two months to submit applications, but according to the Office of Cannabis, only one lab applied for a permit during that period: Microbac Laboratories in Charleston.

The office will accept applications indefinitely, and there will not be a limit on the number of lab permits, according to a press release.

“This is a key step in the process to make medical cannabis available to West Virginians with serious medical conditions,” said Jason Frame, director of the Office of Medical Cannabis.

Labs are where marijuana is tested for quality control and potency, a vital part of distributing medical marijuana, according to the Association of Public Health Laboratories.

West Virginia’s Medical Cannabis Act was signed into law in April 2017, with the goal of distributing within two years. State Department of Health and Human Resources Secretary Bill Crouch estimates the program will be fully operational by spring 2021.

West Virginia physicians were permitted on May 28 to begin the registration process to treat patients within the state who require medical marijuana.

The Office of Medical Cannabis has not yet released the number of physicians who have since applied. Physicians are required to complete the ‘West Virginia Medical Cannabis Program,’ which is $189.