By Jake Zuckerman, Charleston Gazette-Mail
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — State Treasurer John Perdue is hiring an attorney to assist with his office’s handling of banking services for West Virginia’s medical cannabis program, a show of escalating tension with the district’s federal prosecutor.
Through the Attorney General’s Office, Perdue is requesting help from outside counsel with a background in medical cannabis law, criminal defense and the Freedom of Information Act. The request specifically cites “potential legal issues involving the United States Attorney” for the Southern District of West Virginia — Mike Stuart.
The hiring marks a ramping up of what Perdue’s office sees as a potential legal threat from Stuart, who regularly speaks out against legal marijuana programs, as well as hemp — a product derived from the same plant as marijuana that lacks the psychoactive components that gets users high.
