Today, Jason Frame was
named director of the West Virginia Office of Medical Cannabis by Dr. Rahul
Gupta, State Health Officer and Commissioner of the West
Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources (DHHR), Bureau for Public
Health. Dr. Gupta will oversee the West
Virginia Office of Medical Cannabis.
“I have confidence in Mr. Frame’s ability to lead the West
Virginia Office of Medical Cannabis, and to help position this office in a
manner that is ready to meet of needs of patients who may medically benefit
from cannabis,” said Dr. Gupta. “We
still have a lot of work to do in establishing the process for setting up
dispensaries, growers, processors, and laboratories, and I believe Mr. Frame is
ready to meet that challenge.”
The Medical Cannabis Act was signed into law on April 19,
2017, which allows cannabis to be used for certified medical use by West
Virginia residents with a serious medical condition. Patient and caregiver cards will not be
issued until July 1, 2019.
“I am honored to be selected as the director of the West
Virginia Office of Medical Cannabis,” said Frame. “My goal is to lead the state’s medical
cannabis program in a responsible and deliberative manner to help ensure health
care providers have another option in extending compassionate care for those
who are living with a serious illness, especially in situations where medical
cannabis may provide much needed relief.”
Prior to his hiring as the director of the West Virginia
Office of Medical Cannabis, Frame worked for DHHR’s Office of Environmental
Health Services for five years. He has a
bachelor’s degree from the University of Charleston.
Frame is expected to be officially introduced at the
upcoming Medical Cannabis Advisory Board meeting set for February 6, 2018, from
9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. at the University of Charleston’s Ballroom.
Information regarding medical cannabis in West Virginia is
available online at www.medcanwv.org.