A state lawmaker in West Virginia has presented a novel way to cut down on deaths resulting from the opioid crisis: Legalize marijuana.
During a media event last week, Craig Blair, president of the state Senate, argued in favor of making the plant legal for consumption and suggested it could decrease the number of people being affected by fentanyl coming over the southern border, which is often laced into commonly used street drugs.
Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show that West Virginia had more fatal fentanyl overdoses per capital in 2022 than any other state in the nation.
The Senate president also noted that he sees a lot of West Virginia license plates at marijuana dispensaries when he’s visiting other states, according to West Virginia watch.
Speaking to the fentanyl problem, Blair also claimed at the event that “there is a problem in the state…
