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Progress Stalls on W.Va.'s Medical Cannabis Program

West Virginia Morning
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On this West Virginia Morning, despite legislation passed in 2017 that allowed cannabis to be legal for medical use in West Virginia, officials say they’re still years away from the first sale. That’s — at least in part — because of a hangup with finding a banking solution to get around federal law.

State health officials say they also have to implement permitting and licensing for patients and those who want to start businesses within the industry. Dave Mistich gives us a look at the stalled program and what’s needed to get it off the ground.

Also on today’s show, a new report from the Congressional Budget Office shows increasing the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour could boost the wages of 17 million workers. As the Ohio Valley ReSource’s Becca Schimmel reports, it could have a big impact in the Ohio Valley, where low-wage service sector jobs are increasing.

And thousands of Ohio Valley residents live within one city block of highly pressurized underground natural gas storage wells, according to new research from Harvard University. Energy and environment reporter Brittany Patterson has more.

West Virginia Morning is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting, which is solely responsible for its content.

Support for our news bureaus comes from West Virginia University, Concord University, and Shepherd University.