After years of hard work and advocacy, the Kentucky Senate passed Thursday a bill that legalizes medical marijuana. Senate Bill 47 was approved by the Senate with a 26-11 vote. Now, the legislation is headed to the state House of Representatives. Similar bills for legalizing medical marijuana have been passed twice before.
Republican Senator Stephen West (lead sponsor of the bill) said the legislation would give serious medical patients new treatment options.
West stated that Kentucky should join 37 other states which allow medicinal marijuana for its citizens. He also said that anyone who uses cannabis for medical purposes “should be allowed to use it without being treated as a criminal.”
Senate Bill 47, if passed, would allow patients 18 years and older with qualifying medical conditions such as cancer, chronic pain and epilepsy to receive a recommendation from a physician to use medicinal marijuana. If the University of Kentucky’s new Kentucky Center for Cannabis is able to determine that patients are likely to benefit from medicinal cannabis, it can also add qualifying conditions.
Although the bill doesn’t allow patients to use cannabis for smoking, it allows for raw cannabis flowers for vaping. The bill also allows for other cannabis products, such as capsules and tinctures.
Bill contains Medical Cannabis Regulation Provisions
SB 47 entrusts the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services to draft and implement regulations that will enact legislation and regulate production and sales of medical cannabis in Kentucky. It does not allow patients to grow medical marijuana at their home.
Damon Thayer, Senate Majority Floor leader was among eight senators who voted to advance Senate Bill47 on March 14. Thayer, who was previously a strong opponent to legalizing marijuana in Kentucky has recently stated that his opinions on the matter are changing after listening to testimonials from constituents. Thayer told his fellow members of the committee that he had voted for the “benefits of the suffering.”
Thayer stated that he had not often changed his mind after the bill was passed by the committee. “I supported industrial hemp, and today I support medical marijuana. “I’m trying to become more compassionate in my later years.”
Senate Bill 47 is now headed to the Kentucky House of Representatives. This Kentucky House of Representatives has approved prior measures to legalize marijuana twice, starting in 2020. The bill, if passed by the entire legislature, will be forwarded to Andy Beshear (Democratic Governor), who repeatedly asked the legislature to adopt medical marijuana legislation.
The governor declared in June 2022 that he would establish a advisory committee on medical marijuana to examine legalizing it. Beshear made an executive order in November that legalized medical marijuana to patients who meet certain qualifying criteria. In January, Beshear reiterated his request to state legislators for a bill to legalize medical marijuana in 2023.
Eric Crawford is an activist that has been fighting for legalization of medical marijuana in Kentucky since 2000. He shared his delight at Thursday’s Senate vote.
Crawford said, “I am shocked.” Crawford said, “Now it is time to go to the House.”
The bill would see Kentucky launch its medical marijuana program by January 2025. Crawford was severely paralysed in a car accident thirty years ago and cannabis would be the only treatment that can effectively treat the severe pain and spasms that he has endured since. Crawford acknowledged that it will be nearly two years until Senate Bill 47 takes effect. However, he said that he is understanding the delays.
Crawford stated, “I knew it would take so long to setup the system we didn’t already have.” Crawford said, “Yes, it was a long wait, but that’s okay, I’m doing the best I can.”
The post Kentucky Senate passes Medical Pot Legalization Bill originally appeared on High Times.
