HUNTINGTON — Statistically, West Virginia has become an epicenter of opioid deaths in the United States for the past decade and Huntington has long been considered ground zero for this epidemic.
Huntington’s overdose rates were as much as 10 times higher than the national average and the nation’s COVID pandemic made the nation’s drug overdose epidemic worse, with overdoses reaching a record high in 2020.
The reasons for this opioid epidemic incidence in West Virginia, according to experts, have been a combination of sociocultural factors, a depressed economy, lack of education, and a high rate of prescribing and dispensing of prescription opioids.
While city and state leaders in government and law enforcement continue to battle the crisis, a new medical marijuana dispensary company, TerraLeaf, at 2018 3rd Ave. in Huntington in the former Stadium Frame building, says it has come to help.
“We primarily chose Huntington, West Virginia, to expand due to the opioid crisis going on in this area,” said TerraLeaf’s manager Torrey Clark. “We have been reaching out to the community to educate them about who we are and what we do.”
Clark says education is key to providing resources for cannabis education and precipitating positive change, so that is the reason the company will first open its Education Center before rolling out its dispensary in the coming months. He said the 5,000-square-foot space is divided to offer a community education center in addition to a dispensary.
“TerraLeaf’s Education Center will provide classes and information on the different elements of cannabis, including strains, terpenes and methods of consumption,” he explained.
The Medical Cannabis Act permitting medical cannabis in West Virginia permits West Virginia residents with serious medical conditions to procure medical cannabis for certified medical use in the following forms: pill; oil; topical forms including gels, creams or ointments; a form medically appropriate for administration by vaporization or nebulization, dry leaf or plant form; tincture; liquid; or dermal patch.
West Virginia’s Office of Medical Cannabis says eligible state residents with one of 15 diagnosed medical conditions can register to receive medical cannabis. The registry is also found at www.medcanwv.org, and can only be completed online.
Since the approval of medicinal cannabis by the state, more than 4,000 residents have applied for medicinal marijuana cards, and more than 3,000 applications have been approved.
“Additionally, the Education Center will help new patients register for their medical cannabis cards and print cards for those who have been approved,” Clark said.
State officials have said the patient card is valid only in West Virginia and offers no legal protections for products obtained outside the West Virginia medical cannabis system.
Clark added that TerraLeaf will create as many as 35 jobs in Huntington. He said the company is currently hiring product specialists, patient care coordinators, regional managers and security.
TerraLeaf is the first women-owned medical cannabis dispensary in West Virginia. It is owned by Chris Visco, president and CEO of TerraVida.
Visco founded the largest medical cannabis retailer in Pennsylvania. Currently the women-owned company employs 168 workers and has three retail shops in the Philadelphia suburbs of Abington, Malvern and Sellersville.
Visco opened her first TerraVida Holistic location in 2018. She said she personally paid for the plan to expand south, paying application fees and securing a building in Huntington.
“TerraVida Holistic Centers has seen a high level of success battling opioid deaths through the use of cannabis,” she said. “The year following the legalization of medical marijuana in Pennsylvania, there was a 25% decrease in opioid-related deaths.”
Visco is an entrepreneur battling breast cancer, raising a family, and continuing to grow TerraLeaf as a business.
“With firsthand experience of the benefits of medical marijuana for cancer treatment, I believe that we can help heal West Virginia through the use of medical cannabis, and I look forward to becoming integrated within the community,” she said.
Visco also prioritizes advocating for people disproportionately affected by the war on drugs. She founded VOWD (Victims of The War on Drugs), a nonprofit organization dedicated to the justice reform and equity of marijuana laws.
West Virginia became the 29th state to approve medical marijuana in April 2017, but it has taken four years for the state to issue licenses to dispensaries. The state awarded 10 grower permits, 10 processor permits and 100 permits to dispensaries, including six in Huntington and two in Barboursville.
Other approved dispensary permits in Huntington went to Harvest Care Medical LLC; Yuma Way WV LLC; CAMO Medical West Virginia LLC; Terrasana, which is doing business as Huntington Retail; and Compiler Wellness LLC, which also received a permit for a location in Barboursville. Marachem Inc. was also approved for a dispensary in Barboursville.
The state’s list shows 32 entities were approved at the state level to open medical cannabis dispensaries, or retail shops, in West Virginia. Most applicants were approved to operate more than one dispensary each. A full list of dispensary permit holders can be found at www.medcanwv.org.
A list of registered doctors who can, under state law, certify patients as being eligible for use of medical cannabis is also on the medical cannabis website. Currently, there is only one approved doctor in Cabell County, Dr. Michael Spindel, at 2060 3rd Ave. in Huntington.
“We’re excited about the opportunity to drive this movement by creating jobs, providing resources for cannabis education, and precipitating positive change so that we can ultimately create a lasting, positive impact on the West Virginia community and those affected by the opioid epidemic,” Visco said.
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