Early last month we told you about Kentucky State Senator Perry Clark and his plans to introduce a medical marijuana bill in the KY Legislature. Senator Clark is now making his intentions official.

The folks at The Marijuana Policy Project sent out a press release on events in KY today, which read in part:

Frankfort — Senator Perry B. Clark (D-Louisville) has pre-filed legislation for the 2013 legislative session that would add Kentucky to the growing list of states that allow patients whose doctors have recommended it to use medical marijuana to treat multiple sclerosis, HIV/AIDS, cancer, and other serious medical conditions. The bill would also establish a network of state-regulated dispensaries where patients could purchase medical marijuana. Senator Clark promised the bill’s introduction at a July press conference, noting he wanted to get an early start on generating support in the legislature.

“This is not a conservative issue or a liberal issue; it’s an issue of compassion,” said Senator Clark. “Countless studies show that marijuana is effective at treating pain, nausea, loss of appetite, and other symptoms. If it was my family member, I would do anything to relieve their suffering.”

As for potential opposition to the bill from anti-drug legislators, Senator Clark emphasized that the bill would only apply to marijuana for medical purposes. “This is not about legalizing marijuana. It’s about getting government out of healthcare, and putting science in.”

Donna Fox, a patient from Louisville diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, welcomed the news. “I was diagnosed with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis at age four. I’ve been living with this disease for 42 years and lost count many years ago as to how many injections I have endured and the thousands of pills I have swallowed,” she said. “If medical marijuana, which carries far fewer and less severe side effects, can work then why should I be denied relief? I just want to live a functional life without the pain.”

The odds of passing medical marijuana next year in Kentucky – home of The 420 Times HQ East –  are slim at best. But the discussion must be started now if there is any hope of bringing legal protections to patients here in the near future. In every state that now has medical marijuana laws things started with a simple discussion on the merits of medical cannabis and the raising of awareness.

Kentucky is finally starting down that road.

- Joe Klare

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