Kentucky Republican state Senator Chris McDaniel participates in the Senate session in Frankfort, Ky., Thursday, Feb. 1, 2024. (P Photo/Timothy D. Easley)
Republican Rep. Jason Nemes, a leading supporter of legalizing medical cannabis in Kentucky, said afterward that he intended to make the case to keep the Senate language out of the final version of the spending plan. Nemes and McDaniel are among the budget conferees.
McDaniel said the Senate language shouldn't be seen as an obstacle for implementing the state's medical marijuana program.
"If the advocates for the program have the evidence that they claim to have, this won’t slow anything down," he said in an interview after the conference committee meeting. "It would only slow it down if they can’t prove the things that they have claimed in open committee they can prove."
After years of failed attempts, supporters last year got the bill to legalize and regulate medical marijuana through the legislature, and Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear signed it into law. The measure cleared the Senate despite opposition from some of its most influential members, most notably Senate President Robert Stivers and McDaniel. Stivers is a key member of the budget conference committee.
The measure allows medical cannabis to be prescribed for a list of conditions, including cancer, multiple sclerosis, chronic pain, epilepsy, chronic nausea and post-traumatic stress disorder. Smokable cannabis products would be prohibited. A person would have to be approved for a card allowing its use.
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Beshear's office didn't offer immediate comment Monday on the proposed Senate conditions. The governor is a leading proponent of legalizing medical cannabis, and last Thursday he announced more progress in setting up the regulatory framework for the program, set to go into effect Jan. 1, 2025.
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