Kentucky state Representative Jason Nemes, R, looks to introduce his medical cannabis bill for the third year in a row. On October 7, the Interim Joint Committee on Judiciary discussed the revisions Representative Nemes did to his medical cannabis bill.
Under the most recent version of Nemes’ medical cannabis bill, only four conditions qualify: chronic pain, epilepsy, MS, and nausea. Additionally, no home growth options would become available, along with a ban on all smokable products. This makes the Kentucky medical cannabis bill one of the more conservative bills across the U.S.
“This is a medical marijuana bill, this is not [a] recreational bill. This is what we have the votes for it,” Representative Nemes said. “There’s no doubt about it—we have the votes for it in the House and Senate. It passed 65 to 30 in the House when we were told it wouldn’t pass [last session]. We need to have the courage to vote.
“This bill ain’t no joke,” Nemes continued. This bill is strictly geared towards medical cannabis. He has no intentions of “making it available willy-nilly.”
Response
Lawmakers have had mixed responses to Nemes’ new medical cannabis bill. “There have been a number of improvements and updates and changes to it,” said Senator Whitney Westerfield, R. She is the co-chair of the joint panel. “We have worked through literally every section of the bill.
“I don’t know if I’m going to vote for it or not,” the senator continued. “But I’m a lot closer to being able to support something based on what we’ve worked through.” Previously, Senator Westerfield has opposed the medical cannabis bills in the past two sessions.
Next Steps
This Kentucky medical cannabis bill will hopefully become introduced at the beginning of the next regular session. That won’t be until January 2022. Until then, Representative Nemes said he will work with other lawmakers to earn their vote and continue to make revisions. Additionally, the Kentucky Governor, Andy Beshear, D, has called for medical cannabis legalization in the past.
Once the bill becomes introduced, we will update you with more information.
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