The governor of Kentucky has added his voice to the chorus of people urging the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to follow through on the Biden administration\u2019s plan to reschedule marijuana.<\/p>\n
Gov. Andy Beshear (D) on Wednesday submitted a public comment on the proposed rule, which would move cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). There are currently more than 31,000 comments submitted on the proposal, with the deadline to weigh in coming up on Monday<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cAs Governor, my job is to move our state forward,\u201d Beshear said, referencing his state\u2019s medical cannabis legalization policy that he signed into law. \u201cRescheduling marijuana to Schedule III is a significant, common-sense step forward for all Kentuckians, especially those with significant medical conditions.\u201d<\/p>\n He added that the reclassification will have \u201csubstantial and meaningful impacts\u201d on patients, communities, businesses and research.<\/p>\n While he argued that the reform would provide an \u201calternative to deadly opioids,\u201d that\u2019s not necessarily the case. As a Schedule III drug, marijuana would still be federally illegal unless the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved it as a medicine, which is unlikely for a botanical substance.<\/p>\n Beshear added that rescheduling will promote \u201cfair markets\u201d for cannabis, as it will allow state-licensed marijuana businesses to take federal tax deductions that they\u2019ve been barred from under an Internal Revenue Service code known as 280E. The policy change would also mean \u201creal opportunities for research on marijuana\u201d since certain barriers imposed on studying Schedule I drugs would be lifted.<\/p>\n Today Gov. Beshear sent a letter to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, expressing his support of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services\u2019 recommendation that the DEA ease restrictions on marijuana.<\/p>\n Read More: https:\/\/t.co\/jJ0g4zJvCH<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/lLFkbm2CNU<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Governor Andy Beshear (@GovAndyBeshear) July 17, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n \u201cAs a Schedule I drug, marijuana is currently in the same classification as heroin and LSD as having \u2018no current accepted medical use,’\u201d the letter says. \u201cIt places marijuana as more dangerous than Schedule II drugs such as fentanyl, oxycodone, methadone, methamphetamine and Vicodin.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut the jury is no longer out on marijuana: It has medical uses and is currently being used for medical purposes,\u201d Beshear said in the letter. \u201cThe recognition is overwhelming\u2014and bipartisan. For example, I signed a medical marijuana law that passed with support from Republican legislative supermajorities and a Democratic Governor.\u201d<\/p>\n He also emphasized that while tens of thousands of Americans are dying from opioid overdoses each year, Kentucky has experienced \u201cno marijuana overdose deaths.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThankfully, a well-regulated medical marijuana market provides an alternative to opioids. Our sister states have shown that medical marijuana programs are safe. With age-restrictions, rigorous testing standards, packing and labeling requirements, and advertising restrictions, state medical marijuana markets have provided safe, effective medical products to millions of Americans,\u201d the governor said<\/a>. \u201cWe look forward to seeing how safe medical marijuana products will reduce the suffering and improve the lives of tens of thousands of Kentuckians when our Program launches in 2025.\u201d<\/p>\n The comment was submitted about four months after Beshear participate in a roundtable event at the White House with Vice President Kamala Harris<\/a>, where she touted the president\u2019s mass marijuana pardons and scheduling directive that led to the reclassification proposal.<\/p>\n The governor promoted his work with the administration on cannabis reform<\/a> in an interview earlier this month when asked about the possibility that he and Harris could run together as a ticket in November if President Joe Biden left the race.<\/p>\n In addition to signing a medical marijuana legalization bill, Beshear has also taken executive action to legally protect patients who possess medical cannabis purchased at out-of-state licensed retailers<\/a>\u00a0by exercising his unilateral authority to grant pardons to anyone who meets certain criteria.<\/p>\n After Biden issued his first pardon proclamation in October 2022, Beshear said he was \u201cactively considering\u201d possible marijuana clemency actions<\/a>\u00a0the state could take and encouraged people to petition for relief in the interim. In 2021, he also talked about his desire to\u00a0let Kentucky farmers grow and sell recreational cannabis across state lines<\/a>.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, in contrast to Beshear, 25 Republican members of Congress sent a public comment letter last week opposing the Biden administration\u2019s planned rescheduling of marijuana<\/a>, alleging the government\u2019s recommendation was based on politics rather than science.<\/p>\n Also this month, a GOP-led House committee passed a funding bill that would\u00a0block DOJ from using its funds to reschedule or deschedule cannabis<\/a>.<\/p>\n In a report attached to separate legislation, the House Appropriations Committee also\u00a0called on the Biden administration to account for how it arrived at the decision to reschedule marijuana<\/a>, while additionally expressing concerns about cannabis-impaired driving and the market for intoxicating hemp-based cannabinoids.<\/p>\n GOP senators have\u00a0separately tried to block the administration from rescheduling cannabis<\/a>\u00a0as part of a standalone bill filed last September, but that proposal has not received a hearing or vote.<\/p>\n DOJ Doubles Down On Claim That Medical Marijuana Patients \u2018Endanger Public Safety\u2019 If They Own Guns<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n Photo courtesy of Chris Wallis \/\/ Side Pocket Images.<\/em><\/p>\n The post Kentucky Governor Pushes DEA To Reschedule Marijuana, Saying It\u2019s An \u201cAlternative To Deadly Opioids\u2019<\/a> appeared first on Marijuana Moment<\/a>.<\/p>\n
The governor of Kentucky has added his voice to the chorus of people urging the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to follow through on the Biden administration\u2019s plan to reschedule marijuana. Gov. Andy Beshear (D) on Wednesday submitted a public comment on the proposed rule, which would move cannabis from ScheduleContinue Reading<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":458,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"false","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[18,81],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76879"}],"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=76879"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76879\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":76880,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76879\/revisions\/76880"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=76879"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=76879"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=76879"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n
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\nRead More: Kentucky Governor Pushes DEA To Reschedule Marijuana, Saying It\u2019s An \u201cAlternative To Deadly Opioids\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"