Kentucky is taking the first step towards legal recreational cannabis

A Kentucky Democratic legislature took the first legislative steps to legalize cannabis in the state of Bluegrass on Monday.

State MP Nima Kulkarni, who represents Louisville, has filed two upfront bills that would turn the way cannabis users are treated there upside down.

The first bill would “amend the state’s constitution, allowing Kentuckers aged 21 and over to possess, use, buy or sell up to an ounce of cannabis without criminal penalties. Kentuckians are also likely to have up to five plants for personal use, ”reported local TV station LEX 18.

The other would “induce lawmakers to abolish criminal penalties for the possession, cultivation and / or sale of small quantities of cannabis,” the broadcaster said, and “would also remove cannabis accessories from the state’s drug paraphernalia statutes.”

“I support these bills for several reasons, each of which should be enough to become law,” Kulkarni said in a statement reported on local television station WLKY. “First, current cannabis laws have unnecessarily and tragically ruined many lives, especially of people of color who have suffered from unequal enforcement. Second, thousands of citizens, from cancer patients to veterans with PTSD, should have the right to use something that will give them the mental and physical relief they deserve without relying on stronger, potentially addictive drugs. Third, decriminalizing cannabis would provide the state with a much-needed source of reliable revenue without increasing current taxes by a single cent. Finally, surveys have repeatedly shown that a majority of Kentuckers support the decriminalization and responsible use of cannabis by adults. “

LEX 18 reported that Kulkarni’s proposed constitutional amendment to legalize cannabis “would have to be approved by three-fifths of the House and Senate during the upcoming 2022 legislature before it can be presented to voters next November.”

The country’s legislative period is slated to begin in January.

A poll last year found that 59 percent of Kentucking residents are in favor of legalizing cannabis – a staggering 20 point increase in just seven years.

However, that does not mean that Kulkarni’s two bills are safe in the light of the recent history of the General Assembly.

The state House of Representatives passed a bill to legalize medical cannabis treatment in February 2020, but the legislation fizzled after the COVID-19 pandemic brought business to a standstill.

Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, a Democrat, urged lawmakers late last year to renew their efforts to get the law over the line. As a 2019 gubernatorial candidate, Beshear had opposed harsh sentences, including prison sentences, for cannabis users.

Kulkarni’s moves on Monday went back to former Kentucky Democratic MP Howard, who also tabled bill in 2019 that would have legalized marijuana use for adults aged 21 and over and decriminalized marijuana possession of less than an ounce. Howard’s bill would also have created a regulated market for the sale of cannabis.

“Other states have shown that legalizing cannabis for adult use is a win-win for everyone,” Howard said at the time. “It is an important source of revenue. It creates critical prison and prison space. It helps counter the deadly opioid epidemic. And it gives farmers an important new source of income. The longer we wait, the more we miss these benefits. “

There were more than 20,000 arrests for possession and sale of cannabis in Kentucky between 2014 and 2016.

The ACLU said last year that black Kentuckers are “9.4 times more likely than white Kentuckers to be arrested for marijuana possession, even though both groups have similar national marijuana use rates,” a rate “second only to Montana, where blacks are 9.6 percent be”. Are arrested times more often than whites. “