The governor of Kentucky said on Thursday that he’s “actively considering” possible marijuana clemency actions the state can take following President Joe Biden’s pardon announcement last week—and he’s directed a review of state-level cannabis cases to inform future steps.
In the interim, he’s encouraging people who’ve been convicted over marijuana alone to apply for a pardon.
During a press briefing, Gov. Andy Beshear (D) said that he had “no idea” that the president was planning to issue the mass pardon for people who’ve committed federal cannabis possession offenses and urge governors to follow suit—but the state administration has “taken the last seven days to go over what it means federally and then to look at the correlating state statutes.”
As part of that process, the governor said that he’s asked the state’s Administrative Office of the Courts to conduct an analysis to determine how many Kentuckians have misdemeanor marijuana charges on their records and the possible impact of pardons.
Beshear said that he’s continuing to advocate for medical cannabis legalization in the state, but he also recognizes the importance of providing relief to those who’ve been criminalized over marijuana and he’s “trying to be thoughtful and get out all the
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