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Kentucky Health News
After a bill to legalize medical marijuana in Kentucky failed again in the legislature, Gov. Andy Beshear announced a plan to ask Kentuckians how he might address the issue through executive action.
"This session, like the last one and many before, the General Assembly did not get the job done, despite broad support from the public," Beshear said at his regular weekly news conference. A medical cannabis bill again passed the House this year but couldn't even get a committee hearing in the Senate.
"This issue's time has come," said the Democratic governor, who is seeking re-election next year. "I think it's pretty clear where everybody falls on it. I believe if it had been given a committee vote, depending on the committee, it would have passed. If it would have been brought to the floor, it would have passed. You know, it's time that a couple of individuals that are out of touch with the vast majority of Kentuckians on this issue. Stop obstructing it, and we're able to move forward."
Senate President Robert Stivers has long said that he believes more research is needed before such a bill should pass. The legislature passed a bill to create a cannabis research center, but the medical cannabis bill went nowhere in the Senate after passing the House 59-34.
Beshear offered no details on what legalizing medical cannabis by executive action would look like, but outlined a four-step plan to explore how it could be accomplished that would seek input from Kentuckians.
First, his lawyers will analyze options under the law regarding executive action on medical cannabis; establishes the Governor's Medical Cannabis Advisory Team; commits that team to travel around the state to hear what Kentuckians have to say about medical cannabis; and creates an e-mail for Kentuckians to communicate with the governor about this topic: GovMedicalCannabisAdvisoryTeam@ky.gov.
Beshear noted a long list of conditions that benefit from medical cannabis and stressed that 37 states -- including Mississippi-- along with Washington, D.C., Guam, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands have already regulated it for medical use and said it's time for Kentucky to do the same.
"We are actually behind Mississippi," he said. "This time, we can't make that joke. Mississippi was actually the latest state to permit the use, and their legislature had the courage that ours did not to do so this February."
Lawmakers were able to pass a bill to allow for more cannabis research.
As part of a catch-all bill, HB 604, sponsored by Rep. Kim Moser, R-Taylor Mill, that establishes the Kentucky Center for Cannabis Research at the University of Kentucky was able to pass on the last day of the legislative session. It has been delivered to the governor's desk for his signature or veto. The budget allocates $2 million in the fiscal year that begins July 1 to start the center.
from KENTUCKY HEALTH NEWS https://ift.tt/X3M9J1q Beshear says he is looking at ways to bring medical marijuana to Ky. by executive action, while seeking public's opinion on topicHealthy Care
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