Pubdate: Mon, 25 Jul 2005
Source: Register-Herald, The (Beckley, WV)
Copyright: 2005 The Register-Herald
Contact:  http://www.register-herald.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1441
Author: Mannix Porterfield
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/pot.htm (Cannabis)

STATE'S MARIJUANA LAWS RANGE FROM MISDEMEANOR TO FELONIES

Marijuana can get you in a heap of trouble in West Virginia.

Simple possession is a misdemeanor, but it can net an offender a jail
term of 90 days to six months, along with a $1,000 fine.

Drug paraphernalia constitutes a separate offense, but the punishment
is a bit steeper -- jail time of six months to a full year and a
maximum fine of $5,000.

>From there on, the crimes are considered worse, and, hence, the
punishment grows tougher.

For instance, the sale or cultivation -- any amount, mind you -- can
produce a prison term of one to five years, saddled with a $15,000
fine.

Peddling pot to a minor, or within 1,000 feet of a school, likewise is
a felony, and this offense carries a mandatory minimum sentence of two
years with a variable fine.

Hauling marijuana across the state line with intent to deliver it to
West Virginians is another felony, with a prison sentence of 1 to 5
years and a $15,000 fine.

While some are pressing for legalization of marijuana, the National
Institute on Drug Abuse provided some sobering statistics.

"The use of marijuana can produce adverse physical, mental, emotional
and behavioral changes, and -- contrary to popular belief -- it can be
addictive," the NIDA says on its Web site.

As with the smoke from nicotine, it can damage the lungs, but
marijuana's harm extends well beyond that.

NIDA says it can impair short-term memory, verbal skills and judgment,
distort perception and weaken the body's immune system, possibly
rendering a smoker more vulnerable to cancer.

"Finally," says NIDA, "the increasing use of marijuana by very young
teens may have a profoundly negative effect upon their
development."

As the baby boomers came of age in the 1970s, marijuana was the drug
of choice. More than 60 percent of high school seniors had used it at
least once by 1979. This figure fell for a decade, dropping to 33
percent in 1992.

One year later, NIDA reports, first-time users rose again, hitting the
50 percent mark by 1997.

NIDA estimates 2.6 million Americans used the drug for the first time
in 2002, and about two-thirds were under 18.

"Furthermore," it adds, "the marijuana that is available today can be
five times more potent than the marijuana of the 1970s."
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MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin