A panel established by Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear to advise him on improving access to medical marijuana has received overwhelming support for the legalization of medicinal cannabis from residents of the state. On Friday, Beshear said that the Team Kentucky Medical Cannabis Advisory Committee found that many Kentuckians who suffer from chronic medical conditions are not being helped by traditional painkillers and fear the possibility of addiction posed by opioids. Kentucky is one of 10 states that permit patients to use low-THC cannabis oil, but more potent marijuana products are still prohibited by law.
“Polling suggests 90% of Kentucky adults support legalizing medical cannabis. Our team traveled the state to talk directly to Kentuckians, and they found our people do indeed overwhelmingly support it,” Beshear said in a statement from the governor’s office on Friday. “I appreciate the work of those who participated, and I am taking this information into consideration as I analyze what steps I can take to legalize medical cannabis for those suffering from chronic, debilitating medical conditions.”
A committee advising Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear on improving access to medical marijuana revealed … [+]
The advisory panel revealed last week that through August 12, it had received more than 3,500 public comments on the subject of medicinal cannabis, with 98.6% in favor of legalizing medical marijuana in Kentucky. The panel also reported that Kentuckians are crossing state lines to purchase medical marijuana in neighboring states, but fear arrest once they return home. Additionally, the panel found that military veterans are finding relief from symptoms of PTSD with medical marijuana. Justice and Public Safety Secretary Kerry Harvey, the committee co-chair, noted that at recent town hall meetings held to gauge Kentuckians’ views on medical marijuana, the committee received no opposition from those in attendance.
“Everyone who spoke supported legalizing medical cannabis in Kentucky,” Harvey said. “We heard from many Kentuckians that use cannabis for its beneficial medical effects but can only do so by breaking the law as it now exists. Many of these Kentuckians must leave the commonwealth to legally obtain medical cannabis in one of the 38 states where it is legal.”
Industrial hemp plants grow in a field in Kentucky (Photo by Luke Sharrett/Bloomberg).
Public Protection Cabinet Secretary Ray Perry, who also co-chaired the committee, said that people who addressed the panel at town hall meetings were seeking alternatives to traditional medical therapies.
“Our nation is dealing with a critical crisis from the overuse of addictive opioids. The people we heard from are looking for pain relief that allows them to live useful, productive lives,” Perry said. “We heard about family trauma stemming from unresolved pain and addictive painkillers. We also heard the frustration that politics deprives them of legal access to an efficacious treatment available to an overwhelming majority of Americans.”
Advisory Panel Announced In April
In April, Beshear announced that he would create the medical marijuana advisory panel, saying the body would help him provide access to medical marijuana for patients with chronic pain and other serious medical conditions. The governor appointed the members of the Team Kentucky Medical Cannabis Advisory Committee in June.
The announcement of the committee’s creation followed the Kentucky Senate’s failure to pass House Bill 136, a measure that would have legalized the medical use of marijuana for certain qualifying medical conditions, that was passed by the House of Representatives in March. After the Senate failed to approve the measure, Beshear said that he was considering taking executive action to help provide patients access to medicinal cannabis.
“Polling suggests 90% of Kentucky adults support legalizing medical cannabis, while at the same time, far too many in our state who could benefit from it are suffering. It is simply time that something more is done,” Beshear said in a June statement. “I want to make sure every voice is heard as I am weighing executive action that could provide access to medical cannabis in the commonwealth.”
The governor’s office noted that medical cannabis is often used by patients as an alternative to highly addictive opioids. But while more than three dozen states including Kentucky’s neighbors Illinois, Missouri, Ohio, Virginia and West Virginia allow the medical use of cannabis, lawmakers in the Bluegrass State have failed to pass a medical marijuana legalization bill for him to sign.
Late last month, Beshear’s office announced that the governor would take action on the committee’s findings once they were released.