West Virginia is a no-tolerance state when it comes to marijuana. That means that possession usually comes with a minimum jail sentence and the rest of the possible punishments are equally harsh.
The West Virginia State Legislature lays out all of the potential penalties you may face if convicted of marijuana-related crimes. In this state, it’s considered a misdemeanor to have any amount of marijuana in your possession. You can face between 3 to 6 months in prison and your fine can range all the way up to $1,000. If you are caught with less than 15 grams of marijuana, the misdemeanor may be dropped from your record after completion of the prison sentence and payment of the fine.
If you are convicted of either distributing or growing marijuana, however, you can end up with a $15,000 fine and up to 5 years in jail. This can be a 2 year minimum if you’ve sold to a minor or within 1,000 feet of a school, and it will go on your record as a felony. Even owning or distributing paraphernalia can net you jail time and fines of up to $5,000, as well as a misdemeanor charge. You may be facing 6 months to a year of jail time as well.
It’s easy to see that marijuana is handled very seriously in West Virginia, and that even the smallest marijuana-related charge can end up doing you a lot of damage if you are convicted. While this is not meant to be taken as legal advice, you may wish to seek some sort of legal counsel if facing any of these charges in order to limit the consequences you might otherwise be forced to deal with.
