Kentucky Marijuana Legalization Bill Goes to Senate After House Vote

By Jelena Martinovic

A bill legalizing medical marijuana will be brought to the Kentucky Senate after the House of Representatives passed it Thursday, Marijuana Moment reported.

The measure, sponsored by Rep. Jason Nemes (R), was approved by a 59-34 vote just a week after the Kentucky House Judiciary Committee gave the green light.

Photo by Ina Lihaca/EyeEm/Getty Images

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A similar version of the bill failed to pass the Senate in 2020, though it received solid passage in the House of Representatives. Nemes then reintroduced legislation for the 2021 session, which also did not advance further.

“This is grown in Kentucky, processed in Kentucky, tested in Kentucky,” Nemes said before the vote. “Grown by Kentucky farmers on Kentucky land with Kentucky seeds for our Kentucky brothers and sisters and the Kentucky patients of across the Commonwealth.”

Lawmakers worked for months to build support for the measure, which recently won approval from Senate Attorney General Whitney Westerfield (R), who previously said she will support the House bill despite her personal reservations about marijuana reform .

What is inside

HB 136 is trying to establish a program that would ban both home growing and smoking of cannabis flowers. Whole plant products would be allowed under the bill, but patients would have to vaporize them.

Patients may enroll for a medical marijuana certification if they are being treated for the following conditions: cancer, epilepsy and seizure disorders, multiple sclerosis, PTSD, chronic nausea and cyclic vomiting, and chronic, severe, intractable, or debilitating pain.

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The measure would also allow medical assistants to seek certifications recommending cannabis. It will give regulatory agencies permission to “step in” when a doctor is affected by cannabis and revise language related to licensing fees for recommending medical marijuana and providing “medical cannabis consultation services to cardholders.”

This article originally appeared on Benzinga and has been republished with permission.