Current:Home > MarketsKentucky Senate proposes conditions for providing funds for the state’s Office of Medical Cannabis-Angel Dreamer Wealth Society D1 Reviews & Insights
Kentucky Senate proposes conditions for providing funds for the state’s Office of Medical Cannabis
View Date:2025-01-13 04:21:30
FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Language put in the main budget bill by the Kentucky Senate would set conditions to unlock funding to oversee the state’s medical cannabis program, which is scheduled to take effect at the start of 2025.
The two sentences inserted by senators came up for discussion Monday as House and Senate leaders met in public as part of negotiations to hammer out a final version of the state’s next two-year budget. Lawmakerswent line by line through differences in the voluminous spending plans passed by the House and Senate. Republicans have supermajorities in both chambers.
The Senate’s version states that no funds for the Office of Medical Cannabis would become available without peer reviewed, published research showing “conclusive evidence as to the efficacy of medical cannabis for the persistent reduction of symptoms of diseases and conditions.”
Republican Sen. Chris McDaniel said the provision reflected the view of senators who want to ensure “we have research coming out that’s appropriate to fund” the medical cannabis office.
“While we’re not stripping the funding, we’re waiting on data that tells us that this is effective,” said McDaniel, chairman of the Senate Appropriations and Revenue Committee. “And so we’re just putting a quick pause on that to make sure that we have the appropriate information.”
The Senate budget included — with the strings attached — about $10.3 million in state general funds over two years, plus about $4.9 million in other funds, to support the office’s staffing and operations.
Republican Rep. Jason Nemes, a leading supporter of legalizing medical cannabis in Kentucky, said afterward that he intended to make the case to remove the Senate language from the final version of the spending plan. Nemes and McDaniel are among the budget conferees.
McDaniel said the Senate language shouldn’t be seen as an obstacle for implementing the state’s medical marijuana program.
“If the advocates for the program have the evidence that they claim to have, this won’t slow anything down,” he said in an interview after the conference committee meeting. “It would only slow it down if they can’t prove the things that they have claimed in open committee they can prove.”
After years of failed attempts, supporters last year got the bill to legalize and regulate medical marijuana through the legislature, and Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear signed it into law. The measure cleared the Senate despite opposition from some of its most influential members, most notably Senate President Robert Stivers and McDaniel. Stivers is a key member of the budget conference committee.
The measure allows medical cannabis to be prescribed for a list of conditions, including cancer, multiple sclerosis, chronic pain, epilepsy, chronic nausea and post-traumatic stress disorder. Smokable cannabis products would be prohibited. A person would have to be approved for a card allowing its use.
Beshear’s office didn’t offer immediate comment Monday on the proposed Senate conditions. The governor is a leading proponent of legalizing medical cannabis, and last Thursday he announced more progress in setting up the regulatory framework for the program, which goes into effect Jan. 1, 2025.
veryGood! (1)
Related
- Kentucky woman seeking abortion files lawsuit over state bans
- Apple iPhone from 2007 sells for more than $190,000 at auction
- Q&A: California Drilling Setback Law Suspended by Oil Industry Ballot Maneuver. The Law’s Author Won’t Back Down
- Be the Host With the Most When You Add These 18 Prime Day Home Entertaining Deals to Your Cart
- Bohannan requests a recount in Iowa’s close congressional race as GOP wins control of House
- Biden administration unveils new U.S. Cyber Trust Mark consumer label for smart home devices
- U.K. leader Rishi Sunak's Conservatives suffer more election losses
- Prigozhin's rebellion undermined Putin's standing among Russian elite, officials say
- Is Kyle Richards Finally Ready to File for Divorce From Mauricio Umansky? She Says...
- Khloe Kardashian Defends Blac Chyna From Twisted Narrative About Co-Parenting Dream Kardashian
Ranking
- Princess Kate makes rare public appearance after completing cancer chemo
- Rob Kardashian Makes Subtle Return to The Kardashians in Honor of Daughter Dream
- Netflix debuts first original African animation series, set in Zambia
- The Summer I Turned Pretty Season 2 Gift Guide: American Eagle, Local Eclectic, Sperry & More
- Golden Bachelorette: Joan Vassos Gets Engaged During Season Finale
- Utilities Seize Control of the Coming Boom in Transmission Lines
- When Will We Hit Peak Fossil Fuels? Maybe We Already Have
- Kate Spade 24-Hour Flash Deal: Get a $280 Convertible Crossbody Bag for Just $87
Recommendation
-
What is ‘Doge’? Explaining the meme and cryptocurrency after Elon Musk's appointment to D.O.G.E.
-
Study Documents a Halt to Deforestation in Brazil’s Atlantic Forest After Indigenous Communities Gain Title to Their Territories
-
Keep Your Car Clean and Organized With These 15 Prime Day 2023 Deals
-
UN Water Conference Highlights a Stubborn Shortage of Global Action
-
RHOBH's Kyle Richards Addresses PK Kemsley Cheating Rumors in the Best Way Possible
-
Body cam video shows police in Ohio release K-9 dog onto Black man as he appeared to be surrendering
-
What Denmark’s North Sea Coast Can Teach Us About the Virtues of Respecting the Planet
-
Margot Robbie Just Put a Red-Hot Twist on Her Barbie Style