Cannabis policy reform could be coming to Kentucky with the filing of separate bills to legalize medical and adult-use cannabis.
On Thursday, Democrats Sen. David Yates, Sen. Morgan McGarvey, and Rep. Rachel Roberts introduced identical bills in the Kentucky Senate and House of Representatives to end cannabis prohibition. Titled the L.E.T.T.S. Grow Act (House Bill 521 and Senate Bill 186), the bill would legalize both medical and recreational cannabis.
“Our legislation is the comprehensive plan that Kentuckians deserve, and it builds on what’s worked in other states while avoiding their mistakes,” Roberts said in a press conference on Thursday. “This would be a boon for our economy and farmers alike, plus give state and local governments a major new source of revenue.”
The bill’s title stands for legalize, expunge, treat, and tax, the lawmakers noted. Under the legislation, adults would be permitted to possess up to one ounce of marijuana in public and up to 12 ounces in a private location. The use of cannabis to treat any medical condition “for which an authorized practitioner believes that a cardholder patient may receive therapeutic or palliative benefit from the use of medical cannabis” would also be legalized by the bill.
Adults and patients would be allowed to share up to one ounce of cannabis with one another. Home cultivation of up to 10 mature cannabis plants would also be permitted. The bill also contains provisions for the automatic expungement of cannabis-related misdemeanor charges after one year. Yates noted that the bill would help relieve pressure on Kentucky’s crowded jails and free police to concentrate on other matters.
“By decriminalizing low-level marijuana offenses, it allows police and the courts to re-prioritize their resources toward addressing more