FRANKFORT, Ky. — On April 20, a day celebrated by cannabis enthusiasts, advocates from around the state organized at the state Capitol. Their goal was to create awareness around cannabis reform in Kentucky and voice their displeasure about those efforts stalling in the state legislature.
However, there is also new optimism toward medical marijuana in Kentucky in the future, after a new bill passed through during the latest legislative session.
Jennifer Dunegan said she wishes she had more reason to celebrate on what has become a holiday for many people. Representing the Kentucky Cannabis Freedom Coalition in Frankfort on Wednesday, she joined advocacy groups, including the Kentucky chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, Minorities for Medical Marijuana KY, American Civil Liberties Union of Kentucky, Americans for Prosperity Kentucky and Law Enforcement Action Partnership.
“We’re not getting anywhere. And we have legislators that say, yes I know a majority of my constituents agree with this, but I’m not willing to vote on it. I’m not willing to come out on it. Well now, let’s just bypass them, and just go straight to the voters, and let them tell their legislators what they actually want,” Dunegan said.
Dunegan is a proponent of Kentucky House Bill 225, which aimed to make an amendment to Kentucky’s constitution to allow the people to vote on whether to decriminalize cannabis. That bill and House Bill 224, which would’ve laid a framework for decriminalization, didn’t get committee hearings this past session, let alone make it to the floor.
Dunegan said if decriminalization was ever put up to a vote, she thinks the support would be very high.
She pointed toward disparities in the treatment of people of color as one reason for supporting decriminalization, as well as the health of both herself and others.
“You’re just filling your jails up with simple possession. And that’s not right,” she said. “For me personally, I have epilepsy. I have type one diabetes. I have gastroparesis, which is where my stomach’s paralyzed. Cannabis helps with all of these issues that I have.”
House Bill 136, a medical marijuana bill, did make it off the House floor, but never through a Senate committee. Dunegan wasn’t a supporter of the bill.
“It had been very watered down by the time it got out of committee and even onto the House floor,” she said. “To me, it was very limiting.”
One bill that did pass, House Bill 604, was sponsored by Republican State Representative Kimberly Moser. It established the Kentucky Center for Cannabis Research, setting the commission to study the use of cannabis for medical treatment.
Republican Senators Robert Stivers and Damon Thayer both said research could lead to the possibility of medical marijuana in Kentucky in the future.
“I’m hopeful that they can get something done in the next six to nine months with a significant sample size, for a long enough duration, that we’ll have some conclusive evidence, not anecdotal, but conclusive evidence, not something that is statistically significant, that we can make some decisions on how we should proceed with marijuana used for medicinal or therapeutic values,” Stivers said. “I truly want that. But until we get those types of studies, I think it’s irresponsible for us. I hear these people. You can’t not hear them.”
Thayer had a similar outlook.
“I think the marijuana advocates should take heart. The passage of Representative Moser’s bill was a good step in saying let’s do some research here in Kentucky to give us some answers. And I think there may be more of us who would have an open mind about medical marijuana if we had some good hard research on its ability to deal with some of these maladies that afflict some people,” he said.
Dunegan said that until that day comes, she’ll continue to make her voice heard.
Learn more about decriminalization bills here.
Read more about the cannabis research bill here.