CHARLESTON, W.Va. — In an effort to show lawmakers that West Virginians support rolling back marijuana laws, the West Virginia chapter of a marijuana advocacy organization is conducting a survey of West Virginians’ attitudes on the legalization of pot.
Justin Quinn, spokesman for the state chapter of NORML, the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, said the survey will be hand-delivered to every member of the West Virginia Legislature Sept. 13, during the interim session.
“We want to show them that it’s OK to support this issue — that supporting it will not cause them to lose their seats, like once was believed,” he said.
Quinn said he also hopes the survey results will help the organization fine-tune its legislative agenda and figure out legislation to prioritize.
The survey, found at www.wvnorml.org, asks respondents whether they support legalizing cannabis for medical use; legalizing cannabis for recreational use; rescheduling cannabis from schedule 1, which is the class representing the most dangerous drugs, to another category; and decriminalizing cannabis. Decriminalizing cannabis is not the same as legalization, but it would result in relaxed penalties for certain marijuana offenses.
The survey also asks whether respondents support a constitutional amendment to allow ballot initiatives in West Virginia and if they support cannabis businesses having equal access to banking services…