A new bill was presented to a legislative panel on Monday in the state of Kentucky.
Advocates of legalizing marijuana made their case to the House Judiciary Committee with a bill that would regulate the introduction of medical cannabis but leave it up to cities or counties on whether or not to allow it.
There was no vote on the measure but its chairman said the bill would come up again later on.
“House Bill 166 is not about a party,” explained Jaime Montalvo, who is the president of the group Kentuckians for Medicinal Marijuana. “It’s not about having fun. This is about sick patients, qualifying patients, having safe access to a plant created by our Creator.”
Secretary of State Allison Lundergan Grimes led a task force which led to the bill.
According to State Rep. John Sims Jr., the bill’s lead sponsor, the state’s lack of a medical marijuana law is making it a “medical refugee crisis.”
He said, “This is about patients who have exhausted all their options and resources and now are begging us to pull our heads from the sand to help.”
