Kentucky Governor Personally Awards State’s First Medical Marijuana Cards And Pushes Congress To End Gun Ban For Patients

The governor of Kentucky has personally awarded the state’s first medical marijuana affected person playing cards—and he’s additionally calling on the Commonwealth’s congressional delegation to advance laws defending their constitutional proper to personal firearms.

Throughout a briefing on Thursday, Gov. Andy Beshear (D) supplied an replace on the implementation of Kentucky’s medical hashish regulation, ceremonially inviting a health care provider and former instructor to the rostrum to simply accept the state’s first-ever affected person playing cards. They had been two of two,200 individuals to initially obtain the registration.

“We’ve taken some unimaginable strides to make medical hashish a actuality in Kentucky,” the governor mentioned, noting the state’s progress in licensing marijuana companies and certifying tons of of docs to concern hashish suggestions to qualifying sufferers.

“I’m happy at present to announce we’ve hit one other main milestone for our program,” he mentioned. “As we speak we’re going to concern the primary two medical hashish playing cards to Dr. Ryan Grell and Merissa Khumalo.”

Beshear then mentioned that, “as we enter this new period, I need to be sure that each Kentucky is handled pretty no matter what lawful remedy they select for his or her situation.” And meaning pushing to have a federal rule change that ends the coverage of denying Second Modification rights to individuals working in compliance with state marijuana legal guidelines.

The governor mentioned he despatched a letter on Wednesday to Kentucky’s congressional delegation, “urging them to take decisive motion to guard the constitutional rights of our regulation abiding medical hashish sufferers.”

“At present, regulation abiding residents who elect to take part in state legalized medical hashish packages like Kentucky’s have their Second Modification rights to buy or possess a firearm impacted,” he mentioned. “No regulation abiding Kentuckian—or American for that matter— ought to have to decide on between a constitutional proper just like the Second Modification and getting the remedy that they want.”

Beshear particularly implored the congressional delegation to introduce laws “to deal with this concern and to guard the constitutional rights of Kentuckians and of all People.”

Gov. Andy Beshear will likely be sharing bulletins concerning the implementation of the medical hashish program at present throughout his Workforce Kentucky Replace. Tune in at 12:30 pm ET to look at dwell on YouTube right here: https://t.co/36g9SuuZIS

— Kentucky Workplace of Medical Hashish (@MedCanKY) January 30, 2025

This comes after bipartisan Kentucky senators filed laws that equally calls on the state’s federal representatives to take corrective motion, which Beshear mentioned he helps however wish to see much more sweeping change on the federal stage.

The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) warned Kentucky residents late final yr that, in the event that they select to take part within the state’s medical marijuana program, they are going to be prohibited from shopping for or possessing firearms below federal regulation.

“There shouldn’t be a lack of a proper inside our Invoice of Rights merely for selecting a legalized system of remedy that’s finest for you. As this program grows, I’ll proceed to place our individuals first,” the governor mentioned. “I hope you possibly can see from this, this isn’t about transferring left to proper. It’s about transferring ahead, ensuring individuals get what they want, ensure that they’re handled pretty and by no means penalized for participating in a program like this that may assist.”

“After I ran for governor, it was my objective to offer well being care entry to Kentuckians, particularly entry that ensures the weak the liberty to decide on medical hashish as a substitute for harmful and addictive opioids,” he mentioned.

So far as the implementation of the state’s medical hashish regulation goes, Beshear mentioned in his State of the Commonwealth handle this month that sufferers could have entry to hashish someday “this yr.”

The measure establishing Kentucky’s medical hashish program, SB 47, was signed into regulation in March 2023 and took impact at first of this month.

Lots of of Kentuckians have thus far utilized for a medical card via an internet portal that launched this month, the governor mentioned in current feedback. He additionally shared suggestions for sufferers to seek out a health care provider and get registered to take part within the hashish program.

Well being practitioners have been in a position to begin assessing sufferers for suggestions for the reason that starting of December, and hundreds of Kentuckians have sought out such consultations within the weeks since.

Whereas there at the moment aren’t any up-and-running dispensaries accessible to sufferers, Beshear additional affirmed that an govt order he signed in 2023 will keep in impact within the interim, defending sufferers who possess medical hashish bought at out-of-state licensed retailers.

In the course of the November election, Kentucky additionally noticed greater than 100 cities and counties approve native ordinances to permit medical hashish companies of their jurisdictions. The governor mentioned the election outcomes display that “the jury is not out” on the difficulty that’s clearly supported by voters throughout partisan and geographical strains.

Picture courtesy of Mike Latimer.