“This is going to cause a lot of folks to probably avoid the program altogether.”
By Alexander Lekhtman, Filter
On March 12, legislation that would impose multiple barriers on medical marijuana access in Kentucky passed through the House and on to the Senate. Among other stipulations, the proposed bill would make many people convicted of drug possession ineligible for the state’s medical marijuana program.
House Bill 829 would require prospective patients pass background checks before they can be issued a medical marijuana card. It would further require them to meet with a pharmacist before they can buy medical marijuana from a dispensary, and would allow K-12 schools to opt out of medical marijuana access policies.
Under the proposed legislation, no one with a felony conviction that’s classified as “violent” or that involves controlled substances would be permitted to enroll. While Kentucky punishes some violations of the controlled substances act as misdemeanors, it’s a felony to possess substances including fentanyl, methamphetamine, LSD and GHB, and for drug convictions other than possession.
Kentucky NORML Executive Director Matthew Bratcher told Filter that it’s unusual for a state to require background checks in order for someone to enroll on the medical marijuana registry.
“This
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