SB752 HFA Butler 3-7 AM #1

Schiffour 4807

Delegate Butler moves to amend the bill on page 12, after section 5 by inserting a new article immediately following the conclusion of article 3 and immediately prior to article 4, containing the following;

“Article 3A.  Required Study.

§16A-3A-1.  Medical cannabis research prior to dispensing or administering any medical cannabis.

(a) Before medical cannabis may be dispensed or administered, the bureau shall gather information and statistics from available sources, to include the Centennial Institute, The Rocky Mountain High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area, and others that may be relevant for presentation to the legislature.

(b) Until the study is completed, and the Legislature has had the opportunity to review the study outlined in section two of this article, no medical cannabis may be dispensed or administered.

§16A-3A-2.  Information required as part of the study.

(a) Information provided to the Legislature shall include, at a minimum, relative information from states with experience with medical cannabis regulation, administration, dispensing, effectiveness, and social and economic impact on the state. Specific information shall include:

(1) The number of medical cannabis cardholders, patients, or both over a time period of at least five years;

(2) By percentage, the age ranges of cardholders, patients, or both;

(3) The medical conditions for which medical cannabis was dispensed and the percentage in each category;

(4) Statistics related to alcohol consumption prior to and post medical cannabis;

(5) Statistics related to illegal opioid and other drug use prior to and post medical cannabis;

(6) Statistics related to medical cannabis and tobacco use;

(7) Medical cannabis diversion statistics;

(8) Statistics relative to automobile accidents, injuries, driving under the influence, and monetary costs;

(9) The number of medical cannabis users who may have transitioned to recreational in cases where recreational use was later legalized;

(10) Information to determine the percentage of medical cannabis users who develop an addiction to cannabis;

(11) Cost associated with cannabis use disorders;

(12) Calls to poison control centers for cannabis, along with what forms of cannabis are involved in the call, and the cost associated;

(13) Hospitalizations related to cannabis and the associated cost;

(14) Cannabis use and correlation to low-weight babies born to mothers who use cannabis and the effects on the babies and related costs;

(15) Arrests related to cannabis and associated cost;

(16) Effect of cannabis use on education attainment;

(17) Effect of cannabis use on employment, workforce, and productivity, and the costs associated with those categories; and

(18) Any other information the bureau wishes to compile for additional research into cannabis use and the effects on persons, society, and the economy.

(b) After the study has been presented to the Legislature for an opportunity to review the program and make any necessary change to protect the citizens of West Virginia, the Legislature must enact a date during the regular session after the study has been reviewed, for which medical cannabis may begin to be dispensed or administered by the bureau in this state.”

Adopted

Rejected