Kentucky lawmakers are concerned about the governor’s speech on executive branch action on medicinal cannabis

Republican lawmakers in Kentucky want Gov. Andy Beshear to put the brakes on recent proposals that he could legalize medical cannabis through executive action.

A legislative push to authorize the treatment in the bluegrass state has dried up in recent weeks, prompting the first-term Democrat to say he plans to explore what steps he could take to get the measure across the finish line bring.

But members of the GOP-dominated Kentucky legislature are saying, “Not so fast!”

In a strongly worded statement last week, Kentucky Senate President Robert Stivers admonished Beshear, saying such action was unconstitutional.

“The public should be concerned about a governor who thinks he can change the statute by executive order,” Stivers said. “He just can’t legalize medical marijuana by executive order; You cannot replace a statute with an executive order as this is a violation of the constitutional separation of powers.”

Other lawmakers accused the Democratic governor of “giving Kentuckians false hope,” according to local broadcaster WDRB.

“I thought something was coming in that it was an attempt to bring more information on this issue to use the governor’s mob pulpit to push the issue, I fully support it,” said the MP GOP State House, Jason Nemes. as quoted by WDRB. “I appreciate the governor’s opinion, I agree with him 100%.”

“I want words of caution there. Many advocates have contacted me asking if this is possible, if this can happen. You are hopeful. They just want to be and feel better,” Nemes continued. “The answer is ‘no,’ the governor does not have the authority to legalize medicinal cannabis in Kentucky. I wish he had. If he did, I would announce it from the rooftops because I believe this is something that Kentucky residents need.”

Nemes was the sponsor of a medicinal cannabis bill passed by the Kentucky State House in March.

“I will never forget that mother who leaned down and touched my hand. She told me what it meant to her child and everyone walked around the room and said what it meant to them,” Nemes said while campaigning for the law during the legislature. “And I thought there are good people here, really good people, and I don’t agree with them. So I started questioning it. I spoke to doctors and did a lot of research on this topic.”

But prospects for the bill have never been rosy and Stivers said there was a lack of support in his chamber.

With the bill seemingly dead in the water, reporters asked Beshear earlier this month if he might be able to get anything through executive action.

“We’re going to investigate,” Beshear said at the time. “It’s something we’re going to look at. His time has certainly come.”

Last week, Beshear stepped up those threats.

“If they don’t act — not even give a Senate hearing — then I believe it’s my duty to see what’s possible given the will of the people and their desire to move forward,” he said. “It’s time to definitely move the conversation forward.”

However, Nemes has advocated patience in order to legalize medicinal cannabis there.

“That’s not going to happen in the next week or next month,” Nemes said, as quoted by WDRB. “This has to be a legislative change and unfortunately the only way to change a bylaw is through the legislature.”

“It feels like the momentum is strongly on our side, that’s because the people of Kentucky have decided, they’ve looked into this issue and they’re in favor of it,” Nemes added, according to the broadcaster.