By Melissa Patrick
Kentucky Health News
FRANKFORT, Ky. -- A medical-marijuana bills described as one of the tightest in the nation is out of committee and is expected to pass the state House. The Senate is another matter.
"This is a question for the Senate," Rep. Jason Nemes, R-Louisville, told reporters after the meeting. "It's going to pass the House -- I have no doubt about it."
House Bill 136 , with a committee substitute, passed the Feb. 12 House Judiciary Committee on a vote of 17-1 -1, with Rep. Joseph Fisher, R-Fort Thomas, passing on the vote. Fisher had expressed concern about people driving under the influence of marijuana and how this would be effectively managed.
Rep. Kim Moser, R-Taylor Mill, was the lone no vote. Moser, who has consistently said she would like to see more evidence-based research on medical marijuana that includes guidelines for prescribing, called the current medical marijuana laws that have been passed a "popular national social experiment."
Senate President Robert Stivers, who has long been the key obstacle to the bill in the Senate, told reporters again on Feb. 12 that he thought there could be a "path forward" for this bill in the Senate, though he said they haven't talked about this bill yet.
He added that while he recognized that there are some real medical benefits to it, he said he wished the federal government would conduct a three-tier, double blind study so that people would know how it really needs to be used.
House Concurrent Resolution 5, sponsored by Rep. Danny Bentley, R-Russell, asks the federal government to expedite research on the safety and efficacy of medical marijuana. It has passed out of the House and has been assigned to the Senate Health and Welfare Committee.
"It's a balancing test of do the goods outweigh the bads," Stivers said.
A medical-marijuana bill passed the House Judiciary Committee 16-1 last year, but with only five days left in the legislative session and opposition in the Senate, it did not get a vote in the full House.
If passed, Kentucky would become the 34th state, along with the District of Columbia to have legalized medical marijuana. So far, only 11 states and the District of Columbia have legalized it for recreational use. A recent poll shows that 90 percent of Kentucky adults favor legalizing medical marijuana in Kentucky.
The most current version of the bill removed a list of conditions that could be treated with medical marijuana and states that that list of conditions will now be determined by a panel of doctors and advisers established under the state health department.
Dr. Jeffrey Block, an anesthesiologist with the University of Miami, offered a short list of conditions that offer either conclusive or substantial evidence that THC is an effective treatment, including intolerable nausea or vomiting, intractable epilepsy, intractable chronic pain and intolerable muscle spasm, particularly from multiple sclerosis.
The bill doesn't allow patients to smoke marijuana. Nemes said this concession was necessary to get the votes, even though this is often the quickest and most efficient way to get the drug into the system. It also does not allow colorful packaging that would be attractive to children.
Nemes said 13.5% of the money that comes in from the program will go toward an indigent program to increase access to those who can't afford it, since insurance won't cover it and another 13.5% will go to law enforcement. The bill also includes an opt-in/ opt-out provision for local governments.
Eric Crawford, an advocate for medical marijuana who told the group that an automobile accident in 1994 had left him paralyzed, said that he used marijuana instead of opioids for his constant pain and muscle spasms.
"Narcotics make me out of my mind. They make me high and unable to function at all," he said. "Cannabis allows me to get out of bed and make the most of my life."
Crawford said for him and others like him, "If House Bill 136 medical cannabis were to pass in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, I would not be a criminal. I would not have to live in fear. I would not have to lay awake at night worrying about law enforcement coming to my home. I would not have to stress about going to jail, or losing my home, work or freedom."
Joe Trigg, a 30-year veteran with 15 deployments, said, "Thousands of other veterans and myself would benefit from this bill." But he also said, "House Bill 136 can do better and should do better."
First, he said because it is written so tightly, it will likely result in higher prices and a larger black market. He also suggested that the rules around no smoking and no growing are a result of lobbying interest and said that the rules around how it can be grown do not benefit Kentucky farmers. Bottom line, he said, "Follow the money."
Kent Ostrander, with the Family Foundation of Kentucky, urged caution in passing this bill and called for more evidence-based research, saying, "We cannot use anecdotal based assumptions" when it comes to medications.
If approved, the medical marijuana program would start Jan. 1, 2021.
Kentucky Health News
FRANKFORT, Ky. -- A medical-marijuana bills described as one of the tightest in the nation is out of committee and is expected to pass the state House. The Senate is another matter.
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| Rep. Jason Nemes and Rep. John Sims Jr. present the medical marijuana bill, HB 136, in the House Judiciary Committee. Photo: LRC Public Information |
House Bill 136 , with a committee substitute, passed the Feb. 12 House Judiciary Committee on a vote of 17-1 -1, with Rep. Joseph Fisher, R-Fort Thomas, passing on the vote. Fisher had expressed concern about people driving under the influence of marijuana and how this would be effectively managed.
Rep. Kim Moser, R-Taylor Mill, was the lone no vote. Moser, who has consistently said she would like to see more evidence-based research on medical marijuana that includes guidelines for prescribing, called the current medical marijuana laws that have been passed a "popular national social experiment."
Senate President Robert Stivers, who has long been the key obstacle to the bill in the Senate, told reporters again on Feb. 12 that he thought there could be a "path forward" for this bill in the Senate, though he said they haven't talked about this bill yet.
He added that while he recognized that there are some real medical benefits to it, he said he wished the federal government would conduct a three-tier, double blind study so that people would know how it really needs to be used.
House Concurrent Resolution 5, sponsored by Rep. Danny Bentley, R-Russell, asks the federal government to expedite research on the safety and efficacy of medical marijuana. It has passed out of the House and has been assigned to the Senate Health and Welfare Committee.
"It's a balancing test of do the goods outweigh the bads," Stivers said.
A medical-marijuana bill passed the House Judiciary Committee 16-1 last year, but with only five days left in the legislative session and opposition in the Senate, it did not get a vote in the full House.
If passed, Kentucky would become the 34th state, along with the District of Columbia to have legalized medical marijuana. So far, only 11 states and the District of Columbia have legalized it for recreational use. A recent poll shows that 90 percent of Kentucky adults favor legalizing medical marijuana in Kentucky.
The most current version of the bill removed a list of conditions that could be treated with medical marijuana and states that that list of conditions will now be determined by a panel of doctors and advisers established under the state health department.
Dr. Jeffrey Block, an anesthesiologist with the University of Miami, offered a short list of conditions that offer either conclusive or substantial evidence that THC is an effective treatment, including intolerable nausea or vomiting, intractable epilepsy, intractable chronic pain and intolerable muscle spasm, particularly from multiple sclerosis.
The bill doesn't allow patients to smoke marijuana. Nemes said this concession was necessary to get the votes, even though this is often the quickest and most efficient way to get the drug into the system. It also does not allow colorful packaging that would be attractive to children.
Nemes said 13.5% of the money that comes in from the program will go toward an indigent program to increase access to those who can't afford it, since insurance won't cover it and another 13.5% will go to law enforcement. The bill also includes an opt-in/ opt-out provision for local governments.
Eric Crawford, an advocate for medical marijuana who told the group that an automobile accident in 1994 had left him paralyzed, said that he used marijuana instead of opioids for his constant pain and muscle spasms.
"Narcotics make me out of my mind. They make me high and unable to function at all," he said. "Cannabis allows me to get out of bed and make the most of my life."
Crawford said for him and others like him, "If House Bill 136 medical cannabis were to pass in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, I would not be a criminal. I would not have to live in fear. I would not have to lay awake at night worrying about law enforcement coming to my home. I would not have to stress about going to jail, or losing my home, work or freedom."
Joe Trigg, a 30-year veteran with 15 deployments, said, "Thousands of other veterans and myself would benefit from this bill." But he also said, "House Bill 136 can do better and should do better."
First, he said because it is written so tightly, it will likely result in higher prices and a larger black market. He also suggested that the rules around no smoking and no growing are a result of lobbying interest and said that the rules around how it can be grown do not benefit Kentucky farmers. Bottom line, he said, "Follow the money."
Kent Ostrander, with the Family Foundation of Kentucky, urged caution in passing this bill and called for more evidence-based research, saying, "We cannot use anecdotal based assumptions" when it comes to medications.
If approved, the medical marijuana program would start Jan. 1, 2021.
from KENTUCKY HEALTH NEWS https://ift.tt/38AjweM Medical marijuana bill expected to pass House; Senate uncertainHealthy Care
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