FRANKFORT, Ky. - Attorney General Andy Beshear has joined a 21 state coalition seeking passage of legislation to protect cannabis industries in states.

The Democrat signed onto a letter addressed to congressional leaders urging them to pass the STATES Act (Strengthening the Tenth Amendment Through Entrusting States Act).

The letter says it does not endorse a cannabis policy in states, rather it urges Congress to pass the act which allows states to regulate cannabis industries within the state without fear of federal interference.

Currently, 33 states have some type of cannabis legalization, whether it is recreational or medicinal, however, despite the legalization of the plant in some form, many businesses face trouble securing access to capital meaning most businesses have to regulate on cash-only basis.

The burgeoning hemp industry is facing a similar problem in Kentucky with many large banks refusing to lend or do business with those in the hemp industry.

"Attorney General Andy Beshear joined a bipartisan coalition of 21 attorneys general to urge Congress to pass the STATES Act in support of legal cannabis-related businesses, including legal hemp businesses, accessing the banking system," Crystal Staley, Communications Director for Beshear said in a statement. "If the act passes, billions of dollars of existing cash transactions would be regulated by the banking sector, subjecting them to oversight and reducing risk in the growing industry."

The measure has birpartisan support with 60 cosponsors in the U.S. House and 10 cosponsors in the U.S. Senate.

“This inconsistency puts a significant burden upon businesses working to operate in a legal industry in a manner that is safe and compliant with state law, as well as on law enforcement agencies trying to ensure complicity to regulations,” the letter says. “It also represents a substantial imposition on the prerogative of states and territories to choose those policies that work best for them and their citizens.”

The letter says the STATES Act would “lift the cloud of regulatory uncertainty that hangs over legitimate businesses”.

Kentucky does not have any form of legalized cannabis within the state despite legislation being proposed the past several years. During the 2019 session, legislation was proposed by Republican lawmakers Rep. Jason Nemes, R-Louisville, and Diane St. Onge, while the bill received several hearings in committees it never was called for a vote on the House floor.

Beshear was one of two attorneys general on the letter whose state has no form of legalized marijuana, Iowa’s Attorney General Tom Miller also signed on.