The Governor Of Kentucky Urges Voters To Put Pressure On Lawmakers To Pass A Bill To Legalize Medical Marijuana This Week!
When the legislature reconvenes this week, the governor of Kentucky is mobilizing the populace to put pressure on state delegates to approve a bill legalizing medical marijuana.
Sen. Stephen West’s measure that was approved by the Senate is anticipated to be taken up by the House (R). Given that the House has adopted similar legislation in previous sessions, only for them to stall in the Senate, supporters are upbeat about its prospects. Nevertheless, this year is different since the other organization has taken the initiative to advance the subject.
On Wednesday, when lawmakers are back in session, they will have the chance to pass medical cannabis. Gov. Andy Beshear (D) stated on Monday in a tweet that “I highly urge them to do so” and that “you should encourage them too.” Speak with your representative and ask them to support medical marijuana for needy Kentuckians.
The final day of the 2023 session, either Wednesday or Thursday, might see the House vote.
The sponsor of the Senate measure, West, declared earlier this month that he had changed his mind and was now convinced that our folks may benefit from medical marijuana if it was made available to them in a strictly controlled environment.
It’s time for Kentucky to join the other 37 states in the US that give their residents the choice of using medical marijuana, according to him.
On Tuesday, the Kentucky Democratic Party urged lawmakers to approve the measure.
The General Assembly said that there is still time this week to work across party lines and uphold morality. Let’s listen to the people of Kentucky, take [Beshear’s] lead, send him a bill to legalize medical marijuana, and get this done.
As Amended, SB 47 Would Achieve The Following:
If a patient has cancer, severe pain, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, muscle spasms or spasticity, chronic nausea or cyclical vomiting, post-traumatic stress disorder, or any other illness that the Kentucky Center for Cannabis deems appropriate, they may be eligible to use cannabis with a prescription from a doctor or an advanced nurse practitioner.
Although it would be illegal to smoke marijuana, patients could still get raw cannabis for vaporization.
It would not be permitted to cultivate at home.
Patients are allowed to have a 30-day supply of cannabis at home and a 10-day supply on them at all times.
The initial visit must be conducted in person, and patient registration would only be valid for 60 days.
For flower marijuana products, there would be a THC cap of 35 percent and a cap of 70 percent for concentrates. A serving of edibles could not include more than 10 milligrams.
Medicinal marijuana would not be subject to sales or excise taxes.
The program would be under the control of the Cabinet for Health and Family Services, which would also be responsible for establishing rules and providing business licenses.
ALSO READ: A Republican Lawmaker in Idaho Has Introduced A Bill To Legalize Medical Marijuana!
Three layers of cultivators, producers, processors, safety compliance facilities, and dispensaries are among the license classifications.
Local governments could decide not to permit the operation of cannabis companies, but residents could petition their towns to change their minds.
A nine-member Board of Doctors and Advisers made up of seven doctors and two advanced nurse practitioners would be established.
By January 1, 2024, regulations would need to be completed.
The certification of professionals to suggest cannabis would be handled by the state boards of medicine and nursing.
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A medical marijuana legalization bill was passed by the House last year and in a previous session, but neither one made it out of the Senate. Advocates began working on the Senate side this year for that reason.
Senate Majority Floor Leader Damon Thayer (R), who has persistently opposed extensive medical cannabis policy reform, believing that it is a fast track to complete adult-use legalization, has been one barrier to the reform.
Yet more recently, he declared that if the law received enough support to pass, he would not obstruct it. And this month, he cast a vote in favor of the legislation in committee, citing how well-targeted it was. On the floor, he supported the proposal as well.
At his State of the Commonwealth address in January, the governor urged the legislature to legalize medical marijuana, stating that doing so is a crucial change that will ensure the state is treating its citizens fairly.
The remarks followed Beshear’s signing of two executive orders in November that regulated the sale of delta-8 THC products and permitted patients who met certain requirements to possess up to eight ounces of medical cannabis legally bought from dispensaries in neighboring states.
Ryan Quarles, a Republican running for governor and the state’s current agricultural commissioner, recently declared that, if elected, he would work with lawmakers to legalize medicinal marijuana during his first year in office.
Activists are working harder than ever to persuade lawmakers to pass reform this session. Organizations like Kentucky Mothers for Medicinal Cannabis (KMMC) and Kentucky NORML have made it clear that they believe the Bluegrass State has been waiting too long on this subject.
In September, the governor announced that he would be considering their recommendations as he continues to think about executive steps for reform after the state’s medical marijuana advisory council presented a report last year.
The governor foreshadowed plans to move the medical marijuana debate administratively last year, slamming the Senate for ignoring the will of the people and for impeding change by declining to even give a bill passed by the House this year a hearing.
Beshear also endorsed the legalization of marijuana on a larger scale in 2020, saying it was about time our state joined the majority of others in doing the right thing. He continued by saying that farmers in Kentucky would be well-positioned to grow and export marijuana to other states.
