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Marijuana Bill Tabled After Lawmaker Makes It Personal
By: Associated Press
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CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — A West Virginia lawmaker says it was difficult for him, but necessary, to detail his own positive experience with medical marijuana in order to help defeat a bill that would have lengthened prison terms for people bringing drugs into the state.
The Charleston Gazette-Mail (http://bit.ly/1OWI0fH) reports that Republican Delegate Bill Flanigan of Morgantown was visibly frustrated Tuesday as he gave his first speech on the West Virginia House of Delegates floor. For marijuana, HB 4576 would have raised the highest prison sentence from five years to 15 years.
Flanigan says medical marijuana provided him essential benefits while he was going through chemotherapy, even though he still feels a lingering guilt that he was using a drug that is illegal in the state.
After the speech, the bill was tabled by a 59 to 40 vote.