Bookmark Kentucky NORML's Cannabis Bill Tracker stay updated and informed on all the cannabis bills in play this session. 
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Call the legislative hotline at 1-800-372-7181 and leave a message voicing support or your opposition for the following bills.

Please do this once a day for maximum effect. ​

2/25/23

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.

The support for age limits on the sale of intoxicating hemp products is based on the concern that young people are more susceptible to the negative effects of these substances, including impaired judgment, cognitive deficits, and addiction. By restricting access to such products, it is hoped that the potential harm to young people can be minimized.

The support for the prohibition of driving under the influence of intoxicating hemp products is based on the fact that these substances can impair driving ability, reaction times, and coordination, increasing the risk of accidents and injury. The recommendation of waiting four hours before operating a motor vehicle after partaking in these substances is in line with the guidelines for alcohol consumption, which similarly recommend waiting before driving.

However, a challenge with regulating the use of intoxicating hemp products is the lack of standardized methods for assessing intoxication. Unlike alcohol, which has established breathalyzer tests to determine blood alcohol content, there is currently no widely accepted method for measuring the level of cannabinoids in a person's system to determine impairment. As a result, there may be concerns about arresting individuals who have cannabinoid metabolites in their system, but who may not be actually intoxicated at the time of the arrest.​

2/23/23

Medical cannabis has been a hot topic for legislators in Kentucky for the past several years, and Representative Kim Moser's bill, HB 590, has caused controversy among those who support it. The bill seeks to leave the decision on whether or not Kentucky gets a medical cannabis program up to the Kentucky Center on Cannabis, established by Moser in a previous session. However, the Center for Drug and Alcohol Research, which oversees the Center, has a history of demonizing cannabis and cannabinoids and spreading debunked Drug War propaganda.

The lead researcher at the Kentucky Center for Cannabis, Dr. Shanna Babalonis, has little experience with clinical studies and from all accounts has had a difficult time getting and retaining research subjects. Moreover, the research the Kentucky Center for Cannabis is currently doing is not novel or groundbreaking, but merely rehashing studies from other facilities with better funding and knowledge bases.

KY HB 590 is nothing more than bad-faith, self-serving legislation meant to continue denying the people of Kentucky access to cannabis. Despite more than 30,000 scientific and clinical studies on cannabis and cannabinoids in the last decade, this bill claims to determine whether sufficient scientific data and evidence exist to demonstrate the medical, therapeutic, or palliative benefits of cannabis.

House Bill 590 leaves all aspects of a medical cannabis program to the University of Kentucky through its related research departments, which has no experience in growing cannabis to scale, knowledge of the different cultivars and their uses for specific medical conditions, or setting up a distribution network. The decision for medical cannabis would be left in the hands of uninformed, unprepared, and unsuited unelected state employees who are beholden to their financiers from pharmaceutical, insurance, and anti-choice organizations.

We view this effort as waste of taxpayer money. At least $2 million is appropriated from Kentucky taxpayers, who will also fund the growing facilities, distribution, and implementation needs for a medical cannabis program. The trial and error research that will bring us no further to any understanding of the cannabis plant that hasn't already been done will be paid for by the Kentucky taxpayer.

Rep. Moser's HB 590 is not the reform that the people of Kentucky need. Instead of wasting time and money on a program that will likely fail, legislators should focus on the existing scientific data and industry standards for dosage guidelines and appropriate methods of consumption for cannabis. Instead of a big-government program taking the lead, private enterprises should have a role in growing, processing, and distributing cannabis, and legislators should not be beholden to special interest groups. The people of Kentucky deserve better.

2/25/23

Decriminalization refers to the process of removing or reducing criminal penalties for certain actions that were previously considered illegal. In the context of cannabis, decriminalization typically means removing criminal penalties for possession of small amounts of cannabis for personal use.

HB 47 and HB 48 are bills proposed in the legislative session by Rep. Nima Kulkarni, along with other sponsors. These bills aim to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of cannabis for personal use in the state of Kentucky.

If these bills were to become law, individuals caught in possession of small amounts of cannabis for personal use would no longer face criminal charges or the possibility of jail time. Instead, they would face civil penalties, such as a fines or community service.

The rationale behind decriminalization is that criminalizing cannabis possession disproportionately affects marginalized communities, and that the current criminal justice system often imposes harsher penalties on those communities. Decriminalization also allows law enforcement to focus on more serious crimes, rather than spending time and resources on minor drug offenses.

It's important to note that decriminalization is not the same as legalization. Decriminalization only removes or reduces criminal penalties for certain actions, while legalization allows for the sale and possession of cannabis for recreational or medical use, subject to regulation and taxation.​