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The governor of Kentucky has signed a bill to legalize marijuana, making the state the 38th in the U.S. to enact the reform.<\/p>\n
Just one day after the House approved the legislation from Sen. Stephen West (R)<\/a>, Gov. Andy Beshear (D) fulfilled his pledge to sign in into law on Friday. The governor had rallied citizens to pressure their state representatives<\/a> to pass the bill.<\/p>\n \u201cFar too many of our people face the obstacle of having chronic or terminal diseases like cancer, or those like our veterans suffering from PTSD or Kentuckians living with epilepsy, seizures, Parkinson\u2019s or more,\u201d Beshear said. \u201cThese folks want and deserve safe and effective methods of treatment.\u201d<\/p>\n I have been pushing for medical cannabis and sports betting for years. Today, I signed these two bills into law. Team Kentucky delivers and we get results. Congrats, Kentucky. pic.twitter.com\/mwkNjIBRA7<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Governor Andy Beshear (@GovAndyBeshear) March 31, 2023<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n Advocates have been optimistic about medical marijuana\u2019s prospects this year. The House had advanced similar measures in past sessions, only to have them stall in the Senate\u2014but things proved different this time, with the other body taking the lead in advancing the issue<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n \u201cOne of the prime reasons I sponsored this bill and moved it along is addiction. Other states that have adopted this have seen not only a 20-30 percent reduction in opioid use, but also a 20 or 30 percent reduction in drug addiction,\u201d West, the bill sponsor, said at a press conference on Friday alongside the governor. \u201cIf you haven\u2019t looked, Kentucky has a severe addiction problem, and I think Senate Bill 47 and medical marijuana can be part of the solution.\u201d<\/p>\n Rep. Jason Nemes (R), who carried medical cannabis bills in the House for several sessions, said \u201cthere are thousands and thousands of Kentuckians who just want to be, and want to feel better\u2014and this will help them with that.\u201d<\/p>\n Today\u2019s signing ceremony for medical marijuana was many years and thousands of meetings in the making. We have more work to do on the regulations, etc.<\/p>\n But today was a good day.<\/p>\n Ice Cube \u2013 It Was A Good Day https:\/\/t.co\/Bs4yGu8vAX<\/a> via @YouTube<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Jason Nemes (@jmnemes) March 31, 2023<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n Here\u2019s what\u00a0SB 47<\/a> will accomplish:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Patients with recommendations from doctors or advanced nurse practitioners can qualify to use cannabis if they have cancer, severe pain, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, muscle spasms or spasticity, chronic nausea or cyclical vomiting, post-traumatic stress disorder or any other medical condition or disease which the Kentucky Center for Cannabis deems appropriate.<\/p>\n Smoking marijuana will be prohibited, but patients can still access raw cannabis for vaporization.<\/p>\n Home cultivation will not be allowed.<\/p>\n Patients can possess a 30-day supply of cannabis in their residence and a 10-day supply on their person.<\/p>\n Patient registration will only last up to 60 days, and the initial visit must be in person.<\/p>\n There will be a 35 percent THC cap on flower marijuana products and 70 percent cap for concentrates. Edibles cannot exceed 10 milligrams per serving.<\/p>\n Medical cannabis will be exempt from sales and excise taxes.<\/p>\n The Cabinet for Health and Family Services will be charged with overseeing the program, including setting regulations and issuing business licenses.<\/p>\n License categories include three tiers of cultivators as well as producers, processors, safety compliance facilities and dispensaries.<\/p>\n Local governments can opt out of allowing cannabis businesses to operate, but citizens can petition to have their municipalities opt back in.<\/p>\n A nine-member Board of Physicians and Advisors will be created consisting of seven physicians and two advanced nurse practitioners.<\/p>\n Regulations will need to be finalized by January 1, 2024.<\/p>\n The state Board of Physicians and State Board of Nursing will be responsible for certifying practitioners to recommend cannabis.<\/p>\n \u2014 The House\u00a0passed a medical cannabis legalization bill last year<\/a>, and in a prior session, but they died with out action in the Senate. That\u2019s why advocates started on the Senate side this session.<\/p>\n One obstacle for the reform has been Senate Majority Floor Leader Damon Thayer (R), who\u2019s\u00a0steadfastly opposed broad medical cannabis policy reform<\/a>, arguing that it\u2019s a fast-track to full adult-use legalization.<\/p>\n More recently, however, he said that he would not stand in the way if the bill had enough support to pass. And this month he voted to support the bill in committee, saying that its \u201cnarrowly focused approach\u201d won him over. He also backed the measure on the Senate floor.<\/p>\n History made. pic.twitter.com\/K43LFdooIq<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Kentucky Democrats (@KyDems) March 31, 2023<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n While this new law will still take time to implement, @AndyBeshearKY<\/a>‘s signature means that so many Kentuckians \u2014 including many of our seniors, veterans, and people living with chronic health issues \u2014 will have this safe and effective option for relief.<\/p>\n \u2014 Kentucky Democrats (@KyDems) March 31, 2023<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n The governor called on the legislature\u00a0to legalize medical cannabis \u201cthis session\u201d<\/a>\u00a0during his State of the Commonwealth speech in January, saying that it\u2019s an essential reform for the state to make sure it is \u201ctreating people right.\u201d<\/p>\n The speech came after Beshear\u00a0signed a pair of executive orders in November<\/a>, allowing patients who meet certain criteria to possess up to eight ounces of medical cannabis legally obtained from dispensaries in other states and also regulate the sale of delta-8 THC products.<\/p>\n Attorney General Daniel Cameron (R) and other Republicans have been critical of the governor for taking executive action, considering it to be overreach\u2014even though the gubernatorial move seems to have politically forced lawmakers to grapple with an issue they had previously neglected to advance.<\/p>\n On Friday, Cameron\u2014who is running for his party\u2019s nomination to unseat Beshear later this year\u2014said that \u201cunlike Governor Beshear\u2019s unilateral executive orders related to marijuana, SB 47 was adopted by the people\u2019s representatives who have been elected to enact public policy on behalf of Kentuckians.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe General Assembly has spoken on behalf of the Commonwealth just as our Constitution provides,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n The General Assembly has spoken on behalf of the Commonwealth just as our Constitution provides. (3\/3)<\/p>\n \u2014 Attorney General Daniel Cameron (@kyoag) March 31, 2023<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n Republican gubernatorial candidate Ryan Quarles, the state\u2019s current agriculture commissioner, recently said that\u00a0he\u2019d work with lawmakers to enact medical cannabis legalization<\/a> within his first year in office if elected\u2014though that\u2019s now a moot point.<\/p>\n Advocates have\u00a0stepped up their efforts to pressure lawmakers<\/a>\u00a0to enact reform this session, with groups like Kentucky Moms for Medical Cannabis (KMMC) and Kentucky NORML making their position clear that the issue has stalled for too long in the Bluegrass State.<\/p>\n Last year,\u00a0the governor released a report<\/a>\u00a0from a\u00a0medical marijuana advisory committee that he formed<\/a>, and he said in September that he would be taking their findings into account as he continues to consider executive actions for reform.<\/p>\n The governor\u00a0previewed plans to advance the issue<\/a>\u00a0of medical marijuana administratively last year, criticizing the Senate for failing to heed the will of voters and for \u201cobstructing\u201d reform by refusing to even give a hearing to a House-passed bill this year.<\/p>\n Beshear also voiced support for broader marijuana legalization in 2020, saying that it\u2019s \u201ctime we joined so many other states in doing the right thing.\u201d He added that Kentucky farmers would be well positioned to\u00a0grow and sell cannabis to other states<\/a>.<\/p>\n Also month, the Kentucky legislature\u00a0sent a bill to the governor\u2019s desk<\/a>\u00a0that would regulate\u00a0the sale of delta-8 THC products<\/a>. Beshear signed that measure into law.<\/p>\n In January, a lawmaker filed legislation for the 2023 session that would\u00a0put a marijuana legalization referendum on the ballot<\/a>\u00a0for voters to decide on, but it has not advanced.<\/p>\n Washington Poised To Prohibit Pre-Employment Discrimination For Marijuana Use Following House Approval Of Senate Bill<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n Photo courtesy of Philip Steffan<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n The post Kentucky Governor Signs Medical Marijuana Legalization Bill Into Law<\/a> appeared first on Marijuana Moment<\/a>.<\/p>\n
The governor of Kentucky has signed a bill to legalize marijuana, making the state the 38th in the U.S. to enact the reform. Just one day after the House approved the legislation from Sen. Stephen West (R), Gov. Andy Beshear (D) fulfilled his pledge to sign in into law onContinue Reading<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":458,"featured_media":63313,"comment_status":"false","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[18,81,126],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63312"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/458"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=63312"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63312\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":63314,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63312\/revisions\/63314"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/63313"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=63312"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=63312"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=63312"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n
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\nRead More: Kentucky Governor Signs Medical Marijuana Legalization Bill Into Law<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"