There are a lot of changes coming to the United States regarding marijuana legislation, and many people are convinced that we will see even more states venturing into the cannabis industry for both medical and recreational marijuana. One of these such states is Kentucky. 2022 means that midterm elections are coming in November that could create a shift in the political leadership in certain states. In some cases, a change of power in various legislative positions can mean a huge difference for the policies that take place thereafter. In some cases, we may see states change their stance on medical marijuana and recreational marijuana, adding to the total number of places in the United States that are finally recognizing the medical and social benefits of legalizing marijuana.

So what about Kentucky? Is it true that this state, as southern and traditional as it may be, could be looking to legalize medical marijuana? Well, we know that in February of 2020, the House of Representatives in Kentucky passed HB 136, which was basically the legislation that would legalize medical cannabis. Unsurprisingly, the votes were overwhelmingly in favor of legalizing medical marijuana.

However, this was right before Covid-19 hit the United States. The sad end to this story is that once Covid hit, every new policy change on the table regarding medical cannabis was bumped down in priority compared to some of the other things that needed to happen. However, this was almost 2 years ago now. We have had plenty of time to adjust (and we will likely have plenty more) to Covid-19 and everything that it entails. Now that there is more time to sit down and sort through things like a medical marijuana program, we may be seeing this happen in the great state of Kentucky.

The progress in Kentucky by pro-cannabis organizations and residents alike has been slow growing. Like many other areas in the United States, it has taken years of hard work for these policies to be even talked about in a serious way. Unfortunately, HB 136 fell through after House approval, and many people were completely bummed to see it happen this way. While there was much support for the legislation from the House, the Senate ultimately rejected it. One of the biggest factors for the implementation of medical marijuana policies in states is the state of resident health care. Many people in the state of Kentucky are dealing with some severe health conditions. In fact, a survey shows that there are over 2.9 million Kentucky residents with at least one debilitating condition. Remember, these are not just things that make life a bit harder. These conditions can completely ruin somebody financially and socially, making it extremely hard to even do anything like work or exercise.

This is why so many states in the United States have chosen to legalize medical marijuana for patients with such conditions. It can also be said that, once marijunaa becomes legalized, it is helpful on the criminal side of things as well. Many people are still charged with felonies for possession of marijuana, which is just insane to think about. In some cases, possession of marijuana would be completely legal in a bordering state. It is super important for the people of Kentucky to rally around the idea of legalizing a medical marijuana program, and hopefully this can be the difference in patients’ lives who are struggling with chronic diseases and other health conditions. Many people feel that 2022 represents a real opportunity for change in the state of Kentucky regarding medical cannabis, and that is my hope as well.