Kentucky Marijuana Not Legalized In February 2017 [Debunked]

Twitter was very excited on February 11 because there was a news report online that contained many factual errors but proudly exclaimed that marijuana is legal in Kentucky as of February 10.

However, the news report from February 11 that stated marijuana was legalized on February 10 is not correct for several key reasons.

What is true is that there is currently a 30-day state Senate session occurring in Kentucky that must adjourn by law by March 30. Among the items to be voted on are two bills related to legalizing marijuana in the state, and they are in the process of being examined before being voted on.

Alternatively, within the fake news report, there is no mention of the laws in Kentucky that are currently under examination in 2017 such as SB76 and SB57.

Instead, the false news report references Prop 64 and this was a vote conducted in California in 2016 to legalize recreational marijuana. In no other state is the law to legalize marijuana called Prop 64 except in California.

Other claims in the article that say marijuana has been legalized in Kentucky as of February 10 include a reference to a specific government office called the Legislative Analyst’s Office.

Unfortunately, this is also incorrect because only the state of California has a Legislative Analyst’s Office, and no such office exists in Kentucky.

Finally, one other factual error in the fake news article is that it says Kentucky voters passed the law by voting on an election ballot. In reality, Kentucky voters never voted on Election Day or any other day to legalize marijuana in the Bluegrass State.

Instead, if the state Senate bills to legalize marijuana get approved by Kentucky lawmakers, it can then be voted on by citizens — if the cards fall toward voting.

As far as the real news related to SB76 and SB57 is concerned, official documents on the LRC Kentucky Government website say that both of these bills that pertain to legalizing medical marijuana are with Health & Welfare (SB57) or Senate Standing Committee on Licensing, Occupations, and Administrative Regulations (SB76) as of January 7.

These specific committees are currently meeting on February 13, but it does not say if SB76, SB57, or legalizing medical marijuana will be discussed. The website also states that it was updated on February 10.

Although it appears that February 10, 2017 will not be remembered as the day marijuana was legalized after all, there is a way to keep in touch with the latest breaking news with any Kentucky state Senate bill like SB76 or SB57.

For example, Kentucky Conservation posts bipartisan updates on the bills to keep voters informed. Legiscan also helps Kentucky voters keep their facts straight about upcoming Senate or House bills being voted on in the Kentucky state Senate or House.

As previously reported by the Inquisitr, the current bills to legalize marijuana in the state of Kentucky were introduced by cannabis advocate and state Senator Perry Clark.

The title of Perry Clark’s medical marijuana legalization legislation is called the Cannabis Compassion Act and was initially filed in December 2016 for the 2017 legislative session under BR409.

The year before, Perry Clark introduced the Cannabis Freedom Act, but, after months in a committee, the proposed medical marijuana law fizzled out in September 2016 because it “never received a hearing,” according to WFPL.

Since that time, the advocacy from medical professionals to legalize marijuana in Kentucky has been gaining speed.

In the latest news about medical marijuana, KSTV reported on February 11 that an oncologist is now speaking directly to Kentucky state senators that are wondering if they should vote yes on medical marijuana legalization.

For example, Representative Jason Nemes of Louisville is getting voters’ calls about marijuana legalization but stated in a recent interview that he did not know “where [he was] on it,” and also stated, “but the Kentucky Medical Association tells me there’s no studies that show that it’s effective.”

Addressing this issue with the effectiveness of medical marijuana, Kentuckian oncologist Dr. Don Stacey stated the following in an interview directed at Jason Nemes and Kentucky lawmakers.

“There’s a reason there’s no studies proving effectiveness — studies have not been allowed to take place. It’s one of those things where we can’t provide randomized phase three studies in cannabis without making it legal… We have a variety of studies of that nature from other countries… The database we have now is plenty enough to say we shouldn’t be arresting patients for trying to help themselves.”

[Featured Image by Drew Angerer/Getty Images]