Ron Strider
Well-Known Member
Jesse Forbes, a Charleston attorney appointed to the newly created Medical Cannabis Advisory Board, said he’s looking forward to getting started.
Forbes has represented people and businesses statewide and has experience in criminal and administrative law. He served for years as a mental hygiene commissioner for Kanawha County. He has training in cannabis laws, medical and employment law and how other states have addressed these issues.
“It is an honor to be selected for this important new board charged with helping to implement the new medical cannabis law,” Forbes said. “I am honored and humbled to have been selected and look forward to putting my legal experience to work for the state.”
Senate Bill 386 created the Medical Cannabis Act. The law does not allow smoking or packaged edible products, but people can obtain pills, oil or topical forms. Gov. Jim Justice signed the bill into law in April, making West Virginia the 29th state to legalize medical marijuana. The law went into effect July 5.
In addition to Forbes, the Department of Health and Human Resources appointed 12 others. These include two people with southern West Virginia roots — Col. Jan Cahill, West Virginia State Police superintendent, who was a Greenbrier County sheriff and State Police Troop 6 commander, and Kimberly Knuckles, a pharmacist from Beaver. Dr. Rahul Gupta, state health officer and commissioner of the DHHR’s Bureau for Public Health, will chair the board.
“There is a great amount of work to do to ensure that the state is ready to have this law take effect in 2019, and I look forward to doing my part to help with the process,” Forbes said.
“Our role as an advisory board will be instrumental in the implementation of this new law. We will be examining what has worked in other states, and what hasn’t, so we can learn from those experiences and craft the best, most workable system for West Virginia,” he said.
“There is a great deal to examine in this rule-making process to be certain the state has a system in place that is the best possible. It is tremendously important to determine how these laws are put into place in our state so that any qualifying patients are able to get the best treatment possible, but also so that this is done in the safest and most workable manner.”
The DHHR will soon announce the date for the board’s first meeting.
“I expect we will move very quickly as there is a great deal of work to do to be ready for this program to roll out in 2019 so that our state’s patients can get the best medical care possible,” Forbes said. “I will be looking at all available information prior to the initial meeting so that I am ready to hit the ground running as we begin this process.”
The board will develop guidelines to license growers, dispensaries and processors as well as provide physician education and develop an electronic database to house the information, including patient ID cards.
Those cards may not be issued until July 1, 2019. Until then, the bureau will issue formal rules to implement the act. Rules will begin for growers and processors. Next will be detailing requirements for dispensaries and physician requirements for registration of caregivers and patients.
News Moderator: Ron Strider 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Charleston attorney talks about role on Medical Cannabis Advisory Board | News | register-herald.com
Author: Andrea Lannom
Contact: Contact Us | Site | register-herald.com
Photo Credit: Getty_Images
Website: register-herald.com | In Print. Online. Anytime.
Forbes has represented people and businesses statewide and has experience in criminal and administrative law. He served for years as a mental hygiene commissioner for Kanawha County. He has training in cannabis laws, medical and employment law and how other states have addressed these issues.
“It is an honor to be selected for this important new board charged with helping to implement the new medical cannabis law,” Forbes said. “I am honored and humbled to have been selected and look forward to putting my legal experience to work for the state.”
Senate Bill 386 created the Medical Cannabis Act. The law does not allow smoking or packaged edible products, but people can obtain pills, oil or topical forms. Gov. Jim Justice signed the bill into law in April, making West Virginia the 29th state to legalize medical marijuana. The law went into effect July 5.
In addition to Forbes, the Department of Health and Human Resources appointed 12 others. These include two people with southern West Virginia roots — Col. Jan Cahill, West Virginia State Police superintendent, who was a Greenbrier County sheriff and State Police Troop 6 commander, and Kimberly Knuckles, a pharmacist from Beaver. Dr. Rahul Gupta, state health officer and commissioner of the DHHR’s Bureau for Public Health, will chair the board.
“There is a great amount of work to do to ensure that the state is ready to have this law take effect in 2019, and I look forward to doing my part to help with the process,” Forbes said.
“Our role as an advisory board will be instrumental in the implementation of this new law. We will be examining what has worked in other states, and what hasn’t, so we can learn from those experiences and craft the best, most workable system for West Virginia,” he said.
“There is a great deal to examine in this rule-making process to be certain the state has a system in place that is the best possible. It is tremendously important to determine how these laws are put into place in our state so that any qualifying patients are able to get the best treatment possible, but also so that this is done in the safest and most workable manner.”
The DHHR will soon announce the date for the board’s first meeting.
“I expect we will move very quickly as there is a great deal of work to do to be ready for this program to roll out in 2019 so that our state’s patients can get the best medical care possible,” Forbes said. “I will be looking at all available information prior to the initial meeting so that I am ready to hit the ground running as we begin this process.”
The board will develop guidelines to license growers, dispensaries and processors as well as provide physician education and develop an electronic database to house the information, including patient ID cards.
Those cards may not be issued until July 1, 2019. Until then, the bureau will issue formal rules to implement the act. Rules will begin for growers and processors. Next will be detailing requirements for dispensaries and physician requirements for registration of caregivers and patients.
News Moderator: Ron Strider 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Charleston attorney talks about role on Medical Cannabis Advisory Board | News | register-herald.com
Author: Andrea Lannom
Contact: Contact Us | Site | register-herald.com
Photo Credit: Getty_Images
Website: register-herald.com | In Print. Online. Anytime.
