WINFIELD, W.Va. — Primary voters in Putnam County are set to decide whether medical marijuana businesses should be allowed to operate inside the county.
Voters heading to the polls will cast ballots to approve or disapprove of growers, dispensaries, processors, and laboratories in the county.
In February, the Putnam County Commission agreed to allow residents to decide on those measures in the county. The Kanawha County Commission last month and similar bodies around the state have approved allowing such businesses in the county once operators receive state approval.
“It’s a big issue involving marijuana, medical marijuana, growing it and processing it in the county. We thought we would leave it up to the voters to help us make the decision on that,” Putnam County Commissioner Steve Andes told 580-WCHS.
Andes said he and fellow commissioners Ron Foster and Andy Skidmore did not have enough time to do the appropriate research on the issue with the Feb. 18 deadline to be approved by the state.
State code requires prospective business owners to go through the state Bureau for Public Health on receiving an application, but counties are allowed to vote on accepting medical cannabis.
Residents must vote on allowing each kind of business, meaning four sections related to medical marijuana will be on the ballot.
Andes said he has not seen or heard of anyone in the county campaigning for or against the issue.
“I think it may pass just from talking to a few neighbors,” he said. “I don’t think anybody opposes the use of medical marijuana if it’s helpful and can help people.”
The state medical marijuana law went into effect in 2017.