The Kentucky Senate Officially Approved a Legislation To Legalize Medical Marijuana!

A Kentucky medicinal marijuana law that had previously failed has now succeeded in crossing the finish line. After being heard by the Senate Licensing and Occupations Committee on Tuesday morning, Senate Bill 47 was approved.

The fact that medicinal marijuana has previously passed the House but usually fails in the Senate makes this more relevant “The Senate kicked off the procedure this year. Let’s enable this motion to go forward and provide Kentucky patients with secure access “Jaime Montalvo from Kentuckians for Medicinal Marijuana stated.

The lengthy Bill 47 is 155 pages long. It stipulates that patients must have doctor certification and a very short list of qualifying medical problems. Patients would lose access if they were discovered sharing their medical marijuana.

The following diagnoses are covered under SB 47:

• Any type or form of cancer regardless of the stage.
• Chronic, severe, intractable, or debilitating pain.
• Epilepsy or any other intractable seizure disorder.
• Multiple sclerosis, muscle spasms, or spasticity.
• Chronic nausea or cyclical vomiting syndrome that has proven resistant to other conventional medical treatments.
• Post-traumatic stress disorder.
• Any other medical condition or disease for which the Kentucky Center for Cannabis established in KRS 164.983, or its successor, determines that sufficient scientific data and evidence exists to demonstrate that an individual diagnosed with that condition or disease is likely to receive medical, therapeutic, or palliative benefits from the use of medicinal cannabis.

Sen. Stephen West, R-Paris, the bill’s sponsor, stated that under the proposed legislation, medical marijuana would not be accessible until 2025 in order to allow the state time to prepare for regulation. Before the bill was put to a vote in committee, people spoke.

A quadriplegic who was paralyzed following a car accident, Eric Crawford, spoke in favor of medical marijuana. Crawford claimed that nothing has proven more effective for him than cannabis for controlling his severe muscle spasms. But he claimed that he always worries about being arrested.

The Family Foundation of Kentucky’s representative argued against the bill, claiming that they think it’s a gateway drug and that the health advantages haven’t been sufficiently researched. Senate President Robert Stivers stated that “SB 47 is the result of extensive research, numerous talks, and carefully weighing all sides of the problem.

“There is a legislative process in place. Notwithstanding the fact that I have voiced my opposition to the measure, I acknowledge that many Kentuckians support it as a kind of medical treatment, and I am certain that the legislative process will proceed as intended.” The bill was approved 8-3 when it was put to a vote. Sen. Damon Thayer, a longtime opponent of marijuana legalization, cast a yes vote on the measure, which was met with cheers.

Thayer remarked, “I think Senator West has done a tremendous job restricting the number of ailments that medical cannabis can be utilized for.”Many years ago, a constituent came to me and shared a personal experience with medicinal marijuana. This piqued my curiosity and started the process of writing this piece of legislation,” West said.

“Not for personal reasons, but because I have done a lot of research, I firmly believe that medical cannabis is inherently safe. I feel that Kentuckians ought to have access to as many security options as possible for their medical care and treatment.”