State Democratic Party chair Mike Pushkin urged the governor to pardon people with misdemeanor cannabis possession convictions, WOAY-TV reported in October 2022. He said the proposal would not cover sale or distribution convictions.
The article cites over 8,000 cannabis arrests in the state in 2020 and reports 279 West Virginians incarcerated for cannabis possession in 2021, as quoted by that official. It cites Black residents being 7.3 times more likely than white residents to be arrested for possession. No response from the governor was included.
Why it matters: The incarceration figure comes from a party official and is four years old, but it points to hundreds of people jailed over possession.
Source: WOAY-TV, 2022-10-07. Forgotten Prisoner's account is based on this reporting.