Kentucky House and Senate lawmakers have approved legislation, Senate Bill 47, establishing a medical cannabis access program for qualified patients with an authorization from their physician.

Bills that would legalize medical cannabis have stalled in the Kentucky Legislature for years, but advocates say this might be the session that the policy finally passes into law. Senate Bill 47 was assigned to the Senate Licensing and Occupations Committee last week – a development advocates say marks a small step forward for the cause after years of disappointment.

These two bills, SB 266 and SB 269, aim to regulate the possession and use of intoxicating hemp products. SB 266 proposes to prohibit individuals under the age of 21 from possessing such products, while SB 269 seeks to prevent driving under the influence of these substances.

Kentucky Senate Bill 47 is seen as a continuation of the previous discussions around medical cannabis as proposed by Rep. Nemes in previous legislative sessions. Although it has some flaws, such as the absence of home grows for patients and caregivers, no employment protections for medical cannabis patients, and the mandated use of pharmacists in dispensaries, these issues are not insurmountable.

When Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear announced his executive order granting preemptive pardons for possession of marijuana for patients suffering from certain medical conditions, he said the move would allow people “to get the help they need without living in fear of being charged with a misdemeanor.”

HB 488 is a bill introduced by Representative A. Gentry with the aim of improving the current worker's compensation system. The bill proposes to exclude certain levels of delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in the blood from being used as evidence to assume that an injury was caused by the introduction of that substance. This move is a step towards ensuring that individuals who are injured on the job are not unfairly denied compensation simply because they have THC in their system.

Cannabis legislation has been hard to pass in Kentucky, which remains one of just 13 states with a total prohibition on marijuana on the books. Last year, a medical marijuana bill so restrictive it allowed non-smokable cannabis for only a handful of medical conditions passed in the House, but it did not receive a hearing in the Senate.

House Bill 348 is currently being criticized as an attack on the hemp industry, as it represents yet another example of the Republican party attempting to restrict and enforce more regulations on an already struggling industry.

We're halfway through the 2023 Kentucky General Assembly. We thank you for every call, email, and meeting by Kentuckians to State Legislators supporting cannabis policy reform. We firmly believe that every action, no matter how small, is significant and impactful.

CJ Carter stays busy. Between founding a realty group, serving as the Kentucky state director of Minorities for Medical Marijuana, and being a barber, it’s hard to describe him as anything but a hard worker. But things changed in his life just a few years ago. In 2018, Carter was diagnosed with epilepsy.