Gatewood Hemp Bill

Kentucky State Senator Perry Clark says his medical marijuana bill may still be far from gaining the General Assembly’s approval, but he plans to introduce it again in the next legislative session. 

Clark may have to revise some of the language in the bill to give it a better shot at passing.

Clark’s bill is called the "Gatewood Galbraith Medical Marijuana Memorial Act.” It recognizes the late Lexington attorney’s support of prescribed medical marijuana. Clark says his bill would simply move marijuana off the list of hard drugs.

“Schedule 1 drugs absolutely have no medicinal value, heroin, LSD, marijuana. Now there’s one of those that doesn’t belong. It’s like a Sesame Streetquestion: Which one doesn’t belong. One of those doesn’t belong.”

Clark says the language in this bill is unchanged from his measure that failed to win passage in the last session.    It would allow possession of up to five ounces of medical marijuana per month. He acknowledges the bill lacks many provisions and regulatory structure that have been successful in other states. But, the point of his bill is to begin the dialogue. For KentuckyPublic radio, I’m Devin Katayama.