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LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — Thousands of Kentuckians have already been issued medical marijuana cards, and Gov. Andy Beshear wants to give that opportunity to even more people in the Bluegrass.
“We will issue Kentucky’s first two medical cannabis cards to Dr. Ryan Grell and Merissa Khumalo,” Governor Beshear said at the Team Kentucky Update on Thursday.
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Dr. Grell founded Kentucky Medical Marijuana Center. Khumalo is a former teacher from Fayette County who worked with girls in STEM. Both spoke about medical marijuana as an alternative to more addictive pain treatment options.
“This will be a lifesaver for patients across Kentucky,” Dr. Grell said.
Since Dec. 1, 2024, more than 6,500 Kentuckians have seen a practitioner and gotten a certification. Beshear said Kentucky has already approved roughly 2,200 medical cannabis cards.
“And we’ll continue to approve cards on a rolling basis moving forward,” he said.
Out of 4,998 applications, only 66 have been denied. 51 of those were because of technical issues, which means these applicants can reapply.
Fifteen applicants were denied due to a previous disqualifying felony offense.
The state also has 333 newly registered medical cannabis doctors and nurses. Beshear said those numbers are “growing daily.”
Despite 81 approved Kentucky cultivators, processors, testing labs, and dispensaries, there’s still no product available in the commonwealth.
For now, an executive order allows qualified Kentuckians to get medical cannabis out of state and bring it back. However, taking marijuana across state lines is still a federal offense.
“My hope is that in the coming month or two we will have a much better idea of when we will see that product first on the shelves,” Beshear said.
There’s also a bipartisan Kentucky resolution urging Congress to amend the Gun Control Act of 1968 and allow medical marijuana users to keep their gun rights. Governor Beshear is now vocalizing his support to change the legislation as well.
“Law abiding Kentuckians, or any American for that matter, shouldn’t have to choose between a constitutional right, like the Second Amendment, and getting the medication that they need,” he said.
Beshear argues there should not be a “loss of rights within our Bill of Rights” for suffering Kentuckians, including veterans with PTSD, who choose to legally use medical cannabis.
“Think about some of the veterans that we’ve had up at this podium that have talked about what medical cannabis has done for them,” he said. “I mean, denying these rights to people who have carried arms in our defense outside of this country is not something we should be doing.”
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”}]] Gov. Beshear said suffering Kentuckians — like veterans with PTSD — should not lose their second amendment rights for using medical cannabis. Read More
