Any minute now, medical marijuana will be legal in West Virginia. West Virginia! It’s a state that voted for Trump by nearly 42 points in November, and approved medical marijuana via its Republican legislature last week. Democratic Gov. Jim Justice (D) is open to signing it.
And West Virginia is on the tail end of the medical marijuana trend. Half the population of the country, spread out among some 28 states and the District of Columbia, can legally smoke some form marijuana for medical purposes. All but three states legalize some part of the drug found in the cannabis plant for medical cause (mostly the compound cannabidiol, which research suggests doesn’t get people high but can help with anxiety and pain).
Liberal, West Coast states launched the medical marijuana trend almost two decades ago. Western, redder states with a libertarian streak followed. And now, a February Quinnipiac University poll found that 93 percent of voters support medical marijuana being legally prescribed by a doctor.
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