Kentucky residents will find a way to make use of marijuana legally purchased in other states in the event that they have a qualifying medical condition.
Gov. Andy Beshear, a Democrat, signed the chief order Tuesday allowing medical marijuana use. The legalization goes into effect Jan. 1.
Residents should be certified as having one in all 21 qualifying medical conditions, keep a receipt of purchase from a state where weed is legal and don’t have any greater than 8 ounces.
“Kentuckians affected by chronic and terminal conditions are going to find a way to get the treatment they need without living in fear of a misdemeanor,” Mr. Beshear said within the announcement, also noting that medical marijuana is supported by 90% of state residents and is legal in 37 other states.
Eligible medical conditions for using medical marijuana in Kentucky, in line with the chief order, include:
- Fibromyalgia.
- Hepatitis C.
- Muscular dystrophy.
- Huntington’s disease.
- Lou Gehrig’s disease or ALS.
- Crohn’s disease.
- Parkinson’s disease.
- Severe arthritis.
- Cachexia or wasting syndrome.
- Glaucoma.
- Neuropathy.
- Multiple sclerosis.
- Sickle cell anemia.
- Intractable seizures.
- Post-traumatic stress disorder.
- Cancer.
- HIV or AIDS.
While some legislators across the aisle agree with medical marijuana legalization, additionally they see using an executive order as overreach.
Bills to legalize medical marijuana have passed the Kentucky House of Representatives but have died within the state’s Senate.
“Today the governor has granted himself an influence that exists nowhere in the US and finds no refuge in Kentucky’s Structure. … As much as I support his effort to bring medical marijuana to Kentucky, this unprecedented power grab cannot stand,” State Rep. Jason Nemes, Louisville Republican, told WDRB, a Louisville Fox TV affiliate.
