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Tag Archives: marijuana
(KY) CANNABIS RALLY AT THE ROTUNDA, WEDNESDAY!
PLEASE PLAN TO JOIN ACTIVISTS, CITIZENS, REPRESENTATIVES AND OTHERS AT THE 2020 CANNABIS RALLY AT THE ROTUNDA, THIS WEDESDAY, MARCH 11TH, FROM 12:30PM UNTIL 2:00PM.
LOCATED AT 700 CAPITAL AVENUE, FRANKFORT, KY 40601.
HOSTED BY:
My Right To Decide and KY NORML
EVENT LINK
SENATOR STAN HUMPHRIES’ LEGISLATIVE UPDATE
Commonwealth of Kentucky
Office of Senator Stan Humphries
For Immediate Release
March 6, 2020
Contact: Morgan P’Pool
SENATOR STAN HUMPHRIES’ LEGISLATIVE UPDATE
The Kentucky General Assembly reached the deadline to file new bills this week. Slightly less than 1,000 bills were filed—286 in the Senate and 647 in the House. With this deadline behind us, we now have a more complete view of the issues lawmakers will take up this year.
Senate Bill (SB) 2, the Senate’s proposed voter ID requirement bill, passed in the House this week with provisions. The Senate did not concur with these changes and asked the House to recede its changes to the bill. If an agreement is not reached, SB 2 will then move to a conference committee for further discussion.
A House measure relating to medicinal marijuana research passed in the Senate. House Concurrent Resolution 5 urges national drug organizations, such as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, to expedite research into the potential therapeutic benefits and risks of using marijuana for health purposes.
Women represented 40 percent of the computer science workforce in 1995. Today, that number is less than 25 percent, which is an alarming decrease to me. SB 193 establishes a goal of increasing participation in computer science courses by underrepresented groups, including females, minorities, students with disabilities, English language learners, and students whose families are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. SB 193 includes the number of computer science courses or programs offered in each school, as well as the nature of those courses or programs and the number of instructors required.
Legislation to rein in surprise medical billing has now advanced to the House. SB 150 seeks to stop the practice by requiring insurers to cover surprise medical billing. This happens when a patient receives medical care—often unwittingly—outside of their insurer’s network. Subsequently, the patient is billed by doctors or hospitals or both for the amount insurance did not cover. SB 150 would require the state insurance commissioner to establish a database of billed health care service charges, and it would provide a dispute resolution program for medical insurers and providers to work out their differences over these out-of-network charges and not the patient.
A bill that would criminalize the “doxing” of minors, SB 182, also passed. By definition, doxing is the act of publicly identifying or publishing private information about someone, especially as a form of punishment, intimidation, or revenge. This legislation was brought after a northern Kentucky student was doxed following the posting of a video of him with a Native American protester in Washington D.C. SB 182 is a commonsense step to address the growing problem of cyber harassment in today’s digital-driven era and would protect the privacy of minors.
Other bills passing this week include:
SB 21 would require veterinarians to report the abuse of animals under their care. Kentucky is the only state where veterinarians are currently prohibited by law from reporting animal abuse unless they have owner permission or are under a court order.
SJR 35 would direct the Cabinet for Health and Family Services to establish the Task Force on Services for Persons with Brain Injuries.
SB 37 would allow veteran-managed nonprofits to waive some startup fees. It would do this by amending the existing Boots to Business program to include these nonprofits. Through the program, new businesses that are majority-owned by a military veteran or an active-service member are eligible for fee waivers for the initial business filing, as well as the annual report filings. SB 37 passed by a 33-0 vote and was sent to the House for its consideration.
SB 115 would amend the statute regarding the tuition waiver for Kentucky foster or adopted children to include graduate programs and extends the eligibility time period to 10 consecutive or non-consecutive semesters up to age 28.
SB 136 would codify in statute that home health aides providing Alzheimer’s and dementia care have four hours of training in their first 60 days of employment. It would also require an annual, two-hour refresher course.
SB 148 would require individuals applying to claim certain agriculture exceptions to first apply for an agriculture exemption number from the Kentucky Department of Revenue (DOR). The bill further requires that DOR develop a searchable agriculture exemptions-number database for sellers and retailers to use for verification.
SB 159 would require the Cabinet for Health and Family Services to promulgate regulations for the operation and maintenance of public splash pads, areas with sprinklers and fountains but little or no standing water. There are currently no regulations on how splash pads should be operated and maintained.
SB 161 would toughen penalties for predators who target children online. Among other things, it would increase penalties for people who prey on children under the age of 12. The bill would also make it easier for investigators to conduct undercover stings by clarifying that they are allowed to pose as children online.
The pace in Frankfort is getting quicker, and I anticipate an increase in visitors and advocates from across the Commonwealth. If you have the time and opportunity, please stop by my office in Frankfort or call for an appointment. If you have any questions or comments about any of these issues or any other public policy issue, please call me toll-free at 1-800-372-7181 or email me at Stan.Humphries@LRC.ky.gov.
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Note: Senator Stan Humphries (R-Cadiz) represents the 1st District including Calloway, Fulton, Graves, Hickman, Lyon, and Trigg Counties. Senator Humphries serves as vice chairman of the Appropriations and Revenue Committee and co-chairman of the Capital Planning Advisory Board and the Public Assistance Reform Task Force. He also serves as a member of the Agriculture Committee; the Veterans, Military Affairs and Public Protection Committee; and the State and Local Government Committee, and the 2020-2022 Budget Preparation & Submission Statutory Committee. Additionally, he serves as an ex-officio member of the Senate Budget Review Subcommittee on Economic Development and Tourism, Natural Resources and Environmental Protection; Education; General Government, Finance, and Public Protection; Human Resources; Justice and Judiciary; and Transportation. For a high-resolution .jpeg of Senator Humphries, please log onto https://legislature.ky.gov/Legislators%20Full%20Res%20Images/senate101.jpg
Medical marijuana bill advances in KY General Assembly
Above: HB 136 primary cosponsor Rep. Jason Nemes, R-Louisville, presenting the medical marijuana legislation for a floor vote.
For Immediate Release
February 20, 2020
Medical marijuana bill advances in KY General Assembly
FRANKFORT— For the first time in Kentucky history, a bill to legalize medical marijuana came to a vote on the floor of the Kentucky House. Apparently the first time was a charm.
Members of the House voted 65-30 to approve the legalization of medical marijuana under House Bill 136, along with eight floor amendments to the bill. The measure now goes to the Senate for its consideration.
“HB 136 when it is passed, which I hope that it is, will be the tightest medical marijuana bill in the country,” said Rep. Jason Nemes, R-Louisville, who shares primary sponsorship of the measure with Rep. John Sims Jr., D-Flemingsburg.
Nemes said that he and Sims have spent years meeting with stakeholders to ensure that the legislation addresses their concerns.
“We’ve met with stakeholders from law enforcement, constituents, regular folks … patients, physicians, chiropractors. I mean, you name it, we’ve been there,” he said.
The bill as passed by the House would extensively clarify state policies for cultivation, processing, sale, distribution, and use of medical marijuana. Licensing of cannabis dispensaries is covered, as is maintenance of a cardholder registry for cannabis users.
Smoking of medical marijuana would be prohibited under HB 136. The bill instead would allow the drug to be dispensed as “edibles” such as gummies, oils, or similar products. Customers would be limited to a month’s supply at one time.
Keeping with the sponsors’ commitment to make HB 136 a public health bill and not a revenue maker, Nemes said excise taxes and all other revenue created by the bill would go to regulation of the program and nothing else. Additionally, local governments would have the last say in whether medical marijuana businesses operate within their jurisdiction.
Among those House members voting against the proposal was former Kentucky State Trooper and current pastor Rep. Chris Fugate, R-Chavies. He cited the fact that marijuana remains a federally controlled substance that isn’t regulated by the Food and Drug Administration as a reason for his vote.
“Marijuana, no matter how we look at it, is against federal law” and joins heroin, LSD, and ectasy as a Schedule I narcotic, said Fugate. It is also a “gateway drug,” he said, referring to drugs that are believed by some to lead to abuse of more dangerous drugs later on.
Voting is support of the bill was Rep. Robert Goforth, R-East Bernstadt. The licensed pharmacist said he supports the bill on behalf of individuals like his adult brother diagnosed years ago with cerebral palsy.
Goforth said he sees his brother suffer on a regular basis from “adverse side effects” caused by FDA-approved anticonvulsants and other drugs.
“If I can give him a little bit of relief from the FDA-approved medication that has caused those adverse side effects for him, to control those conditions, I’m going to do it. I have to do it,” he said.
END
KY: Sen. Perry B. Clark has introduced SB 105… “An ACT related to Cannabis”…
As of today, January 22, 2020, Senator Perry Clark has introduced SB 105, “AN ACT relating to the regulation of cannabis and making an appropriation therefor”, as is posted on the Kentucky Legislature site.
To date, this is the best Bill which I have seen, as it supports all facets of Cannabis, including medicinal use for those under 21 if needed.
Here is a paragraph of the Bill:
Create various new sections of KRS Chapter 245 to define terms; to allow for possession, growth, use, processing, purchasing, transfer, and consumption of cannabis; to establish limits for transfer; to allow for purchasing and manufacture of cannabis accessories; to authorize activities and operation of retail stores, consumption establishments, cultivation facilities, cannabis testing facilities, and product manufacturing facilities; to establish possession limits; to prohibit smoking cannabis in public and to establish a fine for violation; to prohibit operation of motor vehicles while consuming cannabis and to specify that existing intoxication laws are not superseded; to prohibit state or local resources to be used to investigate violations of federal Controlled Substances Act that conflict with this KRS Chapter 245; to specify that an employer is not required to allow consumption, workplace intoxication, possession, or transfer of cannabis; to prohibit individuals under the age of 21 from entering cannabis establishments, purchasing, using, or misrepresenting their age and to provide for exceptions; to establish provisions for palliative or therapeutic use of cannabis by persons under the age of 21 LINK
The full Bill can be viewed at this link….
Please view the entire Bill!
https://kentuckymarijuanaparty.com/2019/12/19/2020-kentucky-marijuana-bills/
https://kentuckymarijuanaparty.com/2020/01/16/kentucky-please-get-involved-this-session/
https://kentuckymarijuanaparty.com/2020/01/16/kentucky-cannabis-rally-at-the-rotunda-in-frankfort/
https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/record/20rs/sb105.html
https://legislature.ky.gov/Legislators/Pages/Legislator-Profile.aspx?DistrictNumber=137
In a related article from 2013…
https://louisvillefuture.com/archived-news/perry-clark-pushes-for-pot-says-the-people-must-push/
Big Hemp News in Kentucky…With National Impact
Both historically, and more recently as prohibition has been lifted, Kentucky has played an outsized role in the development of the nation’s hemp industry. From 19th century hemp farmer/US House Speaker Henry Clay to today’s political leaders, such as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and U.S. Reps. James Comer and Thomas Massie, Kentuckians have served as national leaders in legalizing, cultivating and commercializing the crop.
Today, a significant step was taken by Kentucky’s Agriculture Commissioner Ryan Quarles: Quarles announced this morning that Kentucky would NOT be submitting a hemp plan for USDA approval under the agency’s Interim Final Rule (IFR), but rather would continue to operate its program under the 2014 Farm Bill authorization. Just as with the concerns we shared here (and in our private meetings with USDA leadership), Quarles recognized that many outstanding issues remain regarding the IFR, and that these issues that are not likely to be resolved before planting season begins. Instead, the Department will share its recommendations with the USDA as it develops a final rule, hopefully in time for the 2021 growing season.
We imagine that other states will follow Kentucky’s lead and operate under the 2014 Farm Bill authorization as the USDA listens to stakeholders and the public as it designs its Final Rule. This would make a strong statement that the IFR needs a substantial overhaul, and given the laudable public outreach conducted by the USDA, we are confident that the agency will listen and respond.
Hemp Supporters, that’s your cue…
If you haven’t yet submitted comments to the USDA about its Interim Final Rule, the deadline is next week, January 29. You can submit your comments here. And please feel free to echo any of the comments the Roundtable made, which are available here
SOURCE: U.S. Hemp Roundtable <info@hempsupporter.com>
KENTUCKY CANNABIS RALLY AT THE ROTUNDA IN FRANKFORT!
The people of Kentucky, all groups, all BILLS for Cannabis whether it be “Medical” or “Adult Use”, Republican, Democrat, Libertarian or Independent, are requested to join us in Frankfort Kentucky on March 11, 2020 to show our support for the effort in our State!
Please plan to be there!
LOCATED AT CAPITOL ROTUNDA
700 CAPITOL AVE
FRANKFORT, KY 40601
https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/record/19rs/hb136.html
AN ACT relating to medicinal marijuana and making an appropriation therefor.
https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/record/20rs/hb148.html
AN ACT relating to the regulation of cannabis and making an appropriation therefor.
https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/record/20rs/hb236.html
AN ACT relating to hemp and declaring an emergency.
https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/record/20rs/hb221.html
AN ACT relating to marijuana possession.
https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/record/20rs/hb102.html
AN ACT relating to employment-related drug screens.
RELATED GROUPS/PAGES ON FACEBOOK!
MY RIGHT TO DECIDE
https://www.facebook.com/MYRIGHTTODECIDE/
KY4MM
https://www.facebook.com/groups/ky4mm/?ref=br_rs
KENTUCKY 411 UNCENSORED
https://www.facebook.com/groups/2091597957797912/
KENTUCKY MARIJUANA PARTY
https://www.facebook.com/USMjPartyKY/?ref=br_rs
FREE THE WEED KENTUCKY
Thank you for contacting me with your thoughts on marijuana
I received the following letter from Sen. Mitch McConnell on the 10th of this month. Thought I would share it.
Dear Ms. Krider;
Thank you for contacting me with your thoughts on marijuana. Your views help me represent Kentucky and the nation in the United States Senate, and I appreciate the opportunity to respond to your concerns.
Kentuckians continue to combat the negative consequences associated with the cultivation and distribution of marijuana in communities across the state. According to the Drug Enforcement Agency, in 2018, approximately 418,076 plants were eradicated in the Commonwealth, over $471,000 worth of assets were seized, and more than 73 weapons were taken off the streets as a result of the marijuana eradication operations. Traffickers have been known to trespass on both private and public lands, often resulting in damage to private property and many of the Commonwealth’s most cherished natural habitats.
There is no doubt that drug abuse persists as a serious problem in all 120 counties of the Commonwealth, and the effects of such abuse have proved devastating for our local communities. That is one reason why I welcomed Jim Carroll, Director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, to visit Kentucky in March, 2019. Known as the country’s “drug czar,” Director Carroll focused his attention on understanding Kentucky’s efforts to treat addiction and combat drug abuse and trafficking.
In your correspondence, you mentioned the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act of 2019 (S. 2227). Introduced by Senator Kamala Harris on July 23, 2019, the MORE Act would remove marijuana from the schedule of controlled substances, create a grant program for areas impacted by marijuana convictions, and provide for expungement for certain cannabis offenses. Because of the harm that substances like marijuana and other illegal drugs pose to our society, I oppose their legalization. That said, I will keep your thoughts in mind as the 116th Congress proceeds.
Thank you for contacting me about this important matter. If you would like to receive periodic updates about issues such as this, please sign up for my eNewsletter at http://mcconnell.senate.gov/ and become a fan of my page on Facebook, by visiting http://www.facebook.com/mitchmcconnell or follow my office on Twitter @McConnellPress.
Sincerely, 
MITCH McCONNELL
UNITED STATES SENATOR
(KY) Hemp, broadband concerns brought before state panel
For Immediate Release
November 18, 2019
Hemp, broadband concerns brought before state panel
FRANKFORT—Kentucky Farm Bureau President Mark Haney said his organization’s advice for Kentucky’s growing number of hemp producers is “be careful.”
Haney told the Interim Joint Committee on Agriculture today that farmers are encouraged to enter the growing hemp industry, but with minimal risk. Kentucky is still in its first five years of modern hemp production which began in 2014 under the state’s Industrial Hemp Research Pilot Program.
The research pilot program is ending this year, with the state’s Hemp Licensing Program entering a new stage of commercial production in 2020.
“We tell all the producers, and have been saying all along, be careful. Go slow. Don’t risk any more than you can afford to put at risk,” said Haney. The caution comes as many farmers, he said, look to hemp as a replacement for once-reliable sources of income—like tobacco—amid today’s agriculture market disruptions and downturns.
Making hemp as profitable as tobacco once was to Kentucky farmers, if possible, will take time, said Haney.
“It would be wonderful if we could do that,” he said. “So we’re telling folks, ‘help us build the industry and don’t just try to swing for a home run.’”
Haney said the Farm Bureau has formed a hemp advisory committee to work on issues that could help farmers build the industry moving forward. That work, he said, could come in handy in any future legislative discussions concerning the farmer’s role in the hemp industry. Haney said he hopes hemp processors will take a similar approach regarding their role in the industry.
“Most of the questions about hemp that I’ve heard were not about production of hemp. It was about the processing of hemp and how we transport it, how we get paid for it, (about) the systems from the farm gate through the rest of the pipeline,” said Haney.
Rep. Joe Graviss, D-Versailles, asked Haney if the Farm Bureau’s hemp advisory committee could look into whether Kentucky farmers are being fairly compensated for their crop. He also encouraged a standard means to test hemp products, saying he would like the organization to look into “standardization in testing” of hemp products on store shelves to make sure “what is on the shelf at a gas station or a pharmacy is actually going to contain the same stuff.”
Concerns about cash flow to hemp producers also voiced by Graviss were shared earlier in the meeting with Governor’s Office of Agricultural Policy Executive Director Warren Beeler, who said farmers have had high hopes for hemp amid uncertainty in other agricultural markets. Now farmers are finding that hemp production brings its own uncertainty, he told lawmakers.
“We don’t know exactly where we’re going to end up,” said Beeler. “But hemp has a chance to help us. It has a chance to be maybe that tobacco that we thought we’d never have a replacement for.”
One of the most critical issues facing many Kentucky farmers, said Haney, is the need for high-speed broadband. While most Kentuckians have internet access, Haney said rural areas remain that don’t have the connection speed necessary to use high-tech apps and programs now commonplace in modern agriculture.
“If you can’t operate the device that you’re working with because the speed is so low that you can’t even download the programming … it’s pretty sad. And it’s important to our members more now than it has ever been before,” said Haney, adding that his organization will likely approach the Kentucky General Assembly for help on the matter in the future.
Sen. Stephen West, R-Paris, an attorney and cattle farmer, said internet connectivity is important to him and his constituents, including a number of rural Kentuckians with limited internet access. West said that while full implementation the KentuckyWired project—which is intended to provide gigabit-speed access statewide—is expected within the next year or so, he wonders what support there is from the private sector for improved internet speed.
“They have to address these issues to get more service out to our farmers and rural areas,” West said.
Haney said the Farm Bureau is communicating with the private sector and is “hoping to put together some stakeholders that will continue to work on this in the near future.”
END
DEA Data Show Kentucky Has Highest Rate of Illicit Marijuana Plants in US
Monday, Nov. 11, 2019 | Author: ProCon.org
Kentucky, where both recreational and medical marijuana are illegal, grows more illicit marijuana plants per 100,000 people than any other state, according to DEA data analyzed by American Addiction Centers. In 2018, the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) eradicated 418,076 cannabis plants in Kentucky, about 9,356 plants per 100,000 people.
California, which legalized medical marijuana in 1996 and recreational marijuana in 2016, came in second place with 4,572 illegal cannabis plants per 100,000 people. The DEA confiscated over 1.8 million marijuana plants in the state last year.
Massachusetts and Wyoming tied for last place with zero cultivated plants seized by the DEA in 2018. Wyoming has not legalized marijuana, but Massachusetts legalized medical marijuana in 2012 and adult-use (also called recreational) cannabis in 2016.
Across the United States, the DEA seized 2.82 million cannabis plants in 2018, down from 3.38 million plants in 2017.
Kentucky also earned first place in the number of destroyed illegal grow sites in the country. 15 grow sites per 100,000 people were destroyed in Kentucky, more than double the next-highest state, West Virginia (7.4 per 100,000 people). West Virginia legalized medical marijuana in 2017 but has not legalized recreational use.
Delaware, DC, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont, and Wyoming all had zero grow sites destroyed per 100,000 people. Except Wyoming, each of those states and DC have legalized medical marijuana, and 3 states and DC have legalized recreational use: Maine, Massachusetts, and Vermont.
Despite not having any plants seized, Wyoming bulk-processed the most marijuana at 1,095 pounds per 100,000 people, 46.8% more than the next highest state, Arizona, which had 746 pounds per 100,000 people. Arizona legalized medical marijuana in 2010. American Addiction Centers theorized that the marijuana being bulk-processed in Wyoming might come from nearby states that have legalized marijuana, such as Colorado.
Delaware, DC, Illinois, Maine, Minnesota, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, and Vermont bulk-process the least amount of marijuana (0 pounds per 100,000 people). Among those states, only South Dakota and Tennessee have not legalized marijuana for medical use. Three of those states and DC also have recreational marijuana: Illinois, Maine, and Vermont.
The DEA’s Domestic Cannabis Eradication/Suppression Program seized $52,308,982 in assets related to illicit cannabis plants last year.
33 states and DC have legal medical marijuana, and 11 states and DC have legal recreational marijuana.
Read what the 2020 candidates think about recreational marijuana legalization on our 2020 election site.
When Government Fails In Kentucky 
