Gov. Andy Beshear announced on Thursday that he might take executive action on marijuana after the legislature failed to produce legislation to help Kentuckians access medical cannabis.
“This session, like the last one and many before it, the General Assembly did not get the job done despite broad support from the public,” Beshear said. “I’m talking about access to medical cannabis.
Two pieces of legislation were introduced during the 2022 session. One would legalize medical cannabis, and another would legalize recreational, medicinal, and expunge the records of those who had been charged with marijuana crimes. The latter was introduced by Northern Kentucky Rep. Rachel Roberts (D-Newport)
“Make no mistake, Kentuckians are growing cannabis, they are selling cannabis, and they are consuming cannabis,” Roberts said in February. “We just aren’t regulating it for their safety or benefiting from the tax revenue it should be generating.”
Over the past few years, Beshear said he has been supporting cannabis and that a vast majority of Kentuckians support it.
A poll by the Kentucky Health Issues Poll in 2020 found that 9 out of 10 Kentuckians support legalizing medical cannabis, with 59 percent supporting it in all circumstances and 49 percent supporting it for recreational use.
“Its time has come, and it can give some ailing Kentuckians relief,” Beshear said, elaborating it would help those suffering from Alzheimer’s, ALS, cancer, severe and chronic pain, epilepsy and seizures, post-traumatic stress disorder, and other conditions.
He noted that many other states can work with their health care providers to gain access to medical cannabis to help treat their symptoms.
“Medical cannabis is a popular treatment and often referred to as an alternative to highly addictive opioids that many are still prescribed far too often to deal with their pain,” Beshear said.
As of February 2022, a total of 37 states, Washington, D.C., Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, regulate cannabis for medical use by qualified individuals.
“If you look, the majority of the midwestern states have some type of regulated cannabis program,” Beshear said, highlighting programs in Michigan, Illinois, and Minnesota. He also pointed out southern states such as Alabama and Mississippi.
“Yeah, we are actually behind Mississippi this time,” Beshear said. “We can’t make that joke.”
The governor said people are ready, and given where we are, he announced four steps his administration is taking on cannabis:
- Gov. Beshear asked his general counsel to begin analyzing options under the law for the Governor to consider regarding executive action on medical cannabis;
- Establishing the Governor’s Medical Cannabis Advisory Team;
- He will ask this advisory team to travel around the state and listen to what Kentuckians have to say about medical cannabis; and
- The Governor has established a way for Kentuckians to communicate with his office specifically on this topic. They can email the Governor’s Office at GovMedicalCannabisAdvisoryTeam@ky.gov.