CHARLESTON, W.Va (WDTV) – A bill that would require a mandatory three-year sentence for drug possession was introduced into the West Virginia Senate.
Senate Bill 444 would also provide a conditional discharge for first-time offenders — a bus ticket to any state west of the Mississippi River.
The bill, which is sponsored by Senator Eric Tarr, would create a mandatory three-year sentence for possession of Schedule I or II substances, except cannabis.
After one year served, first-time offenders can receive their bus ticket with a “non-extraditable warrant,” which means that the person would be wanted by authorities but cannot be arrested and brought back to West Virginia. If the person returns to West Virginia before the remaining two years of their sentence, they would be mandated to complete their two-year sentence in prison, the bill states.
The bill is now working its way through the judiciary and finance committees.
You can read the full bill HERE.
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