West Virginia should legalize recreational cannabis and join the growing number of states that already took that step. That's according to Huntington Mayor Steve Williams, who is a Democratic candidate for governor of the Mountain State.

Voters should weigh in on the issue via a statewide constitutional amendment, Williams said this week, reported WV MetroNews. He added cannabis reform would have to get the green light from the state's legislature as well, in order to become law.

"West Virginia has an opportunity to join the growing number of states, including Maryland, Ohio, Virginia and Washington, D.C., that have taken bold steps to legalize cannabis, and I believe it's time we give the people a voice on this issue," Williams said. "One avenue to move forward is to put legalization on the ballot and let voters decide."

In addition to having a positive effect on the state's tax revenues that would then be allocated to education, health care and infrastructure projects, cannabis policy change would also create more jobs while boosting businesses and tourism, Williams continued.

Williams also praised the benefits of a regulated cannabis industry. "By legalizing and regulating cannabis, we can create a safer, controlled environment for consumers and ensure that products are tested and free from harmful substances," he said.

Williams supports cannabis policy change in a state that's facing a grim reality as tit has the highest rate of fatal fentanyl overdoses in the nation. The trend resulted in 80.9 deaths per 100,000 people in 2022, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Read Also: Overdose Crisis Worsens: The Rise Of Fentanyl Smoking Leads To Even More Deaths Than Shooting Heroin

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Williams' GOP Opponent Is Against Weed Legalization

That said, West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey, who secured the Republican nomination in the state governor race in May, doesn't see the legalization of cannabis as the answer to the substance use disorder crisis statewide.

Williams criticized his stance on cannabis, suggesting Morrisey is under the influence of the pharmaceutical industry.

"My opponent opposes legalization because Big Pharma opposes it," Williams said. "Patrick Morrisey wants to protect a lucrative revenue stream that has made billions for Big Pharma while wreaking havoc and bringing misery and death to West Virginia."

Interestingly, Morrisey's partisan colleague, state Senate President Craig Blair (R) is of a different stance, as he previously called for marijuana legalization as a possible means to address the state’s fentanyl crisis.

“My gut tells me it might not happen this year," Blair said at an annual event sponsored by the West Virginia Press Association. "But you're going to see it sooner than later because that is a way to combat the issue."

Either way, previous attempts to legalize recreational cannabis statewide have all failed. Del. Evan Hansen's (D) House Bill 4873, introduced in January, which would have legalized marijuana for adults over 21, allowed cannabis sales by licensed operators and provided labeling regulations, died in a committee.

Multistate medical marijuana operators that would benefit from adult-use legalization in West Virginia include Trulieve Cannabis Corp TCNNF and Verano Holdings Corp. VRNOF, among others.

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