With a unanimous vote, the Morgantown City Council has become the first municipality in West Virginia to effectively decriminalize cannabis.
This ordinance does not solve all of our problems when it comes to drug policy and cannabis in Morgantown or in our state. The city ordinance lowers the misdemeanor crime to a $15 fine rather than the state penalty of 90 days to 6 months in jail and up to $1,000 fine. State Police, Monongalia County Sheriff’s deputies, WVU law enforcement, and other agencies could still enforce existing state and federal law. It is an unfortunate reality of our criminal legal system that charges create problems for our neighbors. There are collateral consequences, even to a misdemeanor charge that carries a minimal fine, such as loss of employment, housing or threats to one’s immigration status.
The War on Drugs is and always has been a racist failure, and it is well past time that we rethink this approach that has put so many people in cages for simply possessing a plant. We will keep pushing for full legalization and decriminalization, but this historic vote is a step in the right direction. It means a conversation has begun. It means elected officials are reevaluating priorities. It means that progress is possible.
We hope to see this progress continue, and we hope many more communities -- and eventually the state -- follow suit. Is your community ready to talk about cannabis decriminalization? ACLU-WV is happy to provide its cannabis decriminalization toolkit and assist you through this process in your community. Contact Community Outreach Director Mollie Kennedy at mkennedy@acluwv.org to discuss how to make this possible where you live.