FRANKFORT — Two bills legalizing medical marijuana have been filed in Frankfort recently.

House Bill 136 and Senate Bill 170 were filed and are supported by area legislators State Rep. John Sims Jr. and State Sen. Steve West.

HB 136 would allow the Kentucky Department of Alcoholic Beverage and Cannabis Control to implement and regulate medical marijuana within the state. It would also establish restrictions on the possession and cultivation of medical marijuana.

The bill would require medical marijuana to only be given to qualifying patients and to establish protections for qualifying cardholders.

It would also “clarify that the use of medicinal marijuana by a qualifying patient or visiting qualifying patient is to be treated the same as the use of prescribed pharmaceutical medications,” according to HB 136.

Sims and State Rep. Rocky Adkins are both listed as sponsors on the bill.

According to Sims, HB 136 is the same bill that was filed in 2018, except it adds a few more provisions for enforcement.

“This is the second time the bill has been filed in the House,” he said. “Last year, I filed it. This year, I left it to the Republicans to introduce.”

Sims said he supports the bill because of the number of people who would benefit.

“It would help patients who need it,” he said. “I believe that once it makes it to the House floor, it will pass.”

SB 170 was filed by West as a companion bill on Tuesday.

West said he believes the bill has a chance of passing.

“The bills are supposed to be identical,” he said. “The Senate bill is just a companion bill to HB 136. In the House, they have 42 cosponsors and they need at minimum 51 votes for it to pass. At the current moment, we have three or four sponsors in the Senate and I know of many who are on board. The governor has also come out in favor of the concept as long as the wording is correct. We have a coming together of several people on both sides.”

According to West, there are several reasons he supports the medical marijuana bill.

“There are many reasons, but the main one is the opioid crisis,” he said. “There are several states who have passed a medical marijuana bill and in those states, there has been a 17-24 percent drop in opioid deaths. Another reason is the medical marijuana, in some studies, have proven to be effective in helping with pain, nausea and other problems. I think it will help a lot of people.”

West said local residents Eric and Michelle Crawford have helped to push for this bill for awhile.

Eric Crawford is a quadriplegic who also suffers from glaucoma. He has said in the past that his doctor has recommended medical cannabis as the only truly effective drug to treat his condition.

“Eric and Michelle Crawford have worked very hard to make this happen,” he said. “They did their research and they put together a good work project.”

Michelle Crawford said she and her husband were pleased to see the bills introduced once more in the House and Senate.

“There are 42 cosponsors on the House bill,” Michelle Crawford said. “That’s even more than we had last year. John has worked hard to get these sponsors.”

Michelle Crawford said legalizing medical marijuana is a bi-partisan issue.

“It is definitely a bi-partisan issue,” she said. “West is a Republican and Sims is a Democrat. Both support this cause. It’s a huge opportunity to help a lot of people and we’re feeling really good about the bill this year.”

The full House bill can be found at https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/recorddocuments/bill/19RS/hb136/orig_bill.pdf and the full Senate bill can be found at https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/recorddocuments/bill/19RS/sb170/orig_bill.pdf

Kentucky State Sen. Steve West, right, introduces SB 170 in Frankfort on Tuesday, alongside State Sen. Dan Seum, left. The bill will legalize medical marijuana.
https://maysville-online.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/web1_51720819_2171397609767519_2508864240689872896_n-1.jpgKentucky State Sen. Steve West, right, introduces SB 170 in Frankfort on Tuesday, alongside State Sen. Dan Seum, left. The bill will legalize medical marijuana. Provided by Michelle Crawford

Christy Howell-Hoots

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