MARTINSBURG, W.Va. — Marijuana laws differ in West Virginia, Maryland and Virginia.
A new law took effect in Maryland on July 1 that allows a person, 21 or older, to lawfully possess and use cannabis.
More specifically, the new law says those eligible “may possess up to 1.5 ounces of cannabis flower, up to 12 grams of concentrated cannabis; or a total amount of cannabis products that does not exceed 750 mg of THC. This is known as the ‘personal use amount.'”
In Virginia, as of 2021, possession of up to one ounce of marijuana for ages 21 and up is legal as is having four plants in the home for those ages 21 and up. Private use and adult sharing within a home or on private property is legal in Virginia within these parameters, according to ACLU Virginia.
In West Virginia, recreational marijuana use is not legal. What’s more, cannabis remains illegal under federal law. It is illegal to carry or transport cannabis over state lines.
West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey said it’s not unusual for states to have three different laws when it comes to marijuana.
“In many respects it’s the way it’s supposed to work,” Morrisey said in a recent appearance on the Panhandle News Network in Martinsburg. “When you have 50 different states that are laboratories of democracy you’re going to have different sets of rules and laws governing them. The federal government is not supposed to regulate them and have conformity across the board.”
West Virginia legalized medical marijuana a few years ago. Morrisey supported that step but he said he continues to urge caution.
“I’ve been open to medicinal because I think that was actually being fair to a lot of people who were in a lot of pain. Recreational? I don’t think that’s the right course. We have to be careful that we’re not creating another pathway for people to get addicted,” Morrisey said.
The goal is to help people not to go down a “dangerous addictive pathway,” Morrisey said.
“We’ve been working so hard to prevent that from happening. Not just with the legal pain pills but with the vaping and other products and some of this can be extremely dangerous,” Morrisey said.
He added there have been some cases where vaping products have been laced with fentanyl.