Democrat Steve Williams trails Republican state Attorney General Patrick Morrisey in the race for governor in West Virginia. A MetroNews Poll released last month had Morrisey leading Williams 49 percent to 35 percent with 16 percent undecided.
However, Williams continues to try to shake up the race by taking definitive positions on controversial issues.
First, it was abortion. Williams has called for a referendum guaranteeing the right to an abortion and reproductive health care. Currently, abortion is illegal in West Virginia except in rare circumstances. Morrisey is strongly pro-life and supports the current law.
Now Williams has called for the legalization of recreational marijuana for adults. Again, he says the issue should be left to the voters.
“West Virginia has an opportunity to join the growing number of states, including Maryland, Ohio, Virginia, and Washington, D.C. that have taken bold steps to legalize cannabis, and I believe it’s time we give the people a voice on the issue,” he said in a prepared statement Wednesday.
Morrisey opposes legalization. “I’m laser focused on doing everything we can to make sure we fight the opioid epidemic in West Virginia. That means addressing the Chinese fentanyl coming in through the southern border and getting the victims the care they need. I’m not for adding more drugs into our state,” he said in a prepared statement.
The landscape on marijuana laws has changed dramatically in recent years. Colorado was the first state to legalize cannabis ten years ago and since then more states have followed. Currently, marijuana is fully legal in 24 states and Washington, D.C. In the remaining states the laws vary from illegal to decriminalized to, like West Virginia, legalized for medical purposes.
The legalization movement is rooted in an increased public acceptance of the use of marijuana, as well as the revenue from taxes. States are always looking for new ways to generate revenue and they are finding it in marijuana. Here are figures from the Tax Foundation:
“In 2022, states collected nearly $3 billion in (medical plus recreational) marijuana tax revenues. The largest and longest-established markets generated the most revenue in California, Washington, and Colorado. In the first quarter of 2023, 10 states—Arizona, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, and Washington—generated more revenue from cannabis than from either alcohol (9 states) or tobacco (Washington),” according to the Foundation.
How much more money could West Virginia raise? That depends on how it is taxed, but the Tax Foundation provides a rough estimate of $41 million annually. That’s more than liquor and beer tax combined collections of $37 million in fiscal year 2024, but significantly less than the tobacco tax collections of $153 million.
But first, either the state legislature would have to pass a law legalizing marijuana, or it would have to agree to put the issue on the ballot. That is a long shot. Three Senate Democrats introduced a resolution during the regular session earlier this year to legalize small amounts of marijuana, but it was never taken up in committee.
If the issue went to the voters, the outcome would be uncertain. In the 2022 election, voters in Maryland and Missouri approved measures to legalize marijuana, but similar measures were rejected by voters in Arkansas, North Dakota and South Dakota.
Elections are about choices, and as this campaign for governor heads to November, voters are getting an opportunity to see the differences between the two leading candidates.