The governor of Kentucky has signed an executive order to expand the list of health conditions that make patients eligible for medical marijuana\u2014adding that he thinks \u201cit\u2019s time\u201d for broader cannabis decriminalization.<\/p>\n
At a press conference on Tuesday, Gov. Andy Beshear (D) announced that he was taking executive action to \u201cclarify\u201d that the current law permitting medical cannabis in the treatment of maladies such as chronic pain and nausea means patients whose specific conditions involve those symptoms can also access the alternative medicine.<\/p>\n
After the legislature declined to take him up on a suggestion to expand the qualifying condition list this session, Beshear said he\u2019s using his authority to make it so patients with 15 additional health disorders\u2014including Parkinson\u2019s disease, HIV\/AIDS, sickle cell anemia, fibromyalgia, arthritis and glaucoma\u2014can also be certified for medical marijuana access.<\/p>\n
The Office of Medical Cannabis (OCM) is being tasked with updating the list to \u201cclarify what\u2019s already in that law,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cToo much is at risk to just stand by and let the law\u2019s lack of clarity leave Kentuckians without relief,\u201d the governor said. \u201cSo today I\u2019m taking action by signing an executive order.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is what the law is meant to do. And the emergency regulation will help people that already qualify, but don\u2019t know that they do, sign up if they\u2019re looking for an alternative,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s going to help people reclaim their lives through a safe, non-addictive treatment.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nThe executive order is a follow up to a medical cannabis legalization law Beshear signed in 2023, with a program that launched at the beginning of last year. Since then, the state has licensed 32 medical cannabis businesses. There are about 500 medical professionals who can now recommend medical marijuana, and nearly 24,000 Kentuckians are currently participating in the program.<\/p>\n
The governor said his new order would allow more than 400,000 additional people in the state to potentially qualify for medical cannabis access.<\/p>\n
\u201cSteps like the one we\u2019ve taken today will help directly improve the lives of Kentuckians across our Commonwealth,\u201d Beshear said<\/a>. \u201cIt\u2019s a work we should focus on daily, rather than the political games that seem to have become routine. I want Kentuckians to know we\u2019re listening. We\u2019re ready to show up and deliver results to make life just a little bit better.\u201d<\/p>\n Asked whether he anticipates the state attorney general will push back on the use of executive authority to expand the medical marijuana law, Beshear shrugged off the suggestion, while insisting that the action simply provides clarity around the statute that\u2019s already in effect. A person with sickle cell anemia is likely to experience pain, for example; and if pain currently counts as a qualifying condition, the governor reasoned that the overarching disorder is intrinsically covered.<\/p>\n