| United we stand, divided we fall my arse. |
Medical marijuana supporters in Kentucky are celebrating a small victory this week, as a compassionate medical cannabis bill made it’s way out of a Democrat-controlled Health and Human Services Committee meeting. The bill will now go before the House for consideration.
Sadly, that might be about as far as House Bill 350 will move in the otherwise conservative House and Senate.
On the off-chance that it does go through, the bill would allow physicians to recommend medical cannabis to patients who could cultivate up to 12 plants and keep up to three ounces on them at any time. They could also purchase it from a state-licensed medical cannabis dispensary.
The bill’s sponsor, Kentucky state Rep. May Lou Marzian, a registered nurse, informed the committee of what is already going on in their state illegally: people are using medical cannabis. She said she has “heard from citizens all over the state and from my district that this is something that relieves or alleviates many conditions.”
Hopefully they listen. People like Air Force veteran Michael Krawitz, who suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder and begged the committee to move the bill forward.
“Listen to me,” he told the committee while on the verge of tears. “I’m telling you it helped me. I’m a disabled veteran. Why do I have to leave this country to get help? – See more at:
The voting came downto party lines, with all nine Democrats approving the measure and all five Republicans voting against it, clueless as ever.
Kentucky needs this, and they want it. Polls have shown that nearly 80 percent of the state would support it.
Currently, possession of less than eight ounces is a misdemeanor charge with up to 45 days in jail. Cultivation of up to five plants is also a misdemeanor carrying a year in jail. More than five plants increases that penalty to five years.