West Virginia Governor Jim Justice recently signed the West Virginia Cannabis Act into law, marking the 29th state to legalize cannabis for medicinal purposes.

Citizens of The Mountain State won’t have access to medical cannabis until July 1, 2019, with the exception of terminally ill cancer patients. These patients will be able to obtain cards and get prescribed medical cannabis from neighboring states which allow for medical cannabis distribution.

The following conditions qualify for medical cannabis treatment:

• Cancer

• HIV and AIDS

• Lou Gehrig’s disease/ALS

• Parkinson’s disease

• Multiple sclerosis

• Certain types of nerve damage

• Epilepsy

• Neuropathies

• Huntington’s disease

• Crohn’s disease

• Post-traumatic stress disorder

• Intractable seizures

• Sickle cell anemia

• Terminally ill

• Severe chronic or intractable pain of neuropathic origin

• Severe chronic or intractable pain in which conventional therapeutic intervention and opiate therapy is contraindicated or has proved ineffective as determined as part of continuing care

The West Virginia Bureau of Health will oversee patient certification, permits and licensure within the industry.

Patients would need to pay a $50 fee for their license to purchase medical cannabis, which would need to be renewed annually.

The law will allow a maximum of 10 medical cannabis cultivators and 30 dispensaries throughout the state. Residents of West Virginia will not be allowed to cultivate at home regardless of certification or prescription.

Individuals interested in cultivation must pay a $5,000 application fee and a $50,000 permit fee. Cultivation operators would need to pay a $5,000 fee annually for their permits.

Dispensary operators must pay a $2,500 application fee and a $10,000 permit fee. They must also pay a $2,500 annual fee to renew their dispensary permits.