Written by Daniel Desrochers of the Herald-Leader
The Kentucky House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed a bill Thursday that would legalize medical marijuana in Kentucky, marking significant progress for a piece of legislation that has long stalled in the legislature.
House Bill 136 was approved 65-30 after more than two hours of debate and consideration of 11 floor amendments, eight of which were approved. They contained mostly minor changes.
A more skeptical Senate gets the bill next. If the bill becomes law, Kentucky would be the 34th state to legalize medical marijuana.
“We have momentum but we’re not there yet,” said Rep. Jason Nemes, R-Louisville, the bill’s sponsor. “Where we go from this is we go with strength to the Senate.”
The bill would allow doctors to prescribe marijuana for a list of conditions yet to be determined by a panel of 13 people — eight doctors, a pharmacist and four public advocates. An amendment passed on the House floor ensured that the list of conditions would include chronic pain, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis and nausea or vomiting. All of those conditions have substantial or conclusive evidence that they are effectively treated by marijuana, according to Dr. Jeffery Block, an anesthesiologist with the University of Miami.
(Cross-posted via the Kentucky Press News Service. Read the rest of the article at the Herald-Leader.)
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