Gov. Andy Beshear urges the reclassification of marijuana

FRANKFORT, Ky. (LEX 18) — This week, Gov. Andy Beshear sent a letter to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, urging the group to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug.

“Rescheduling marijuana to Schedule III is a significant, common-sense step forward for all Kentuckians, especially those with serious medical conditions,” Beshear wrote.

“The jury is no longer out on marijuana: it has medical uses and is currently being used for medical purposes,” he added. “This recognition is overwhelming — and bipartisan.”

Two months ago, in a historic shift in American drug policy, the Justice Department formally moved to reclassify marijuana. If approved, the rule would move marijuana away from its current classification as a Schedule I drug, alongside heroin and LSD. It instead would be a Schedule III substance, alongside such drugs as ketamine and some anabolic steroids. The plan would not legalize marijuana outright for recreational use.

Would this change impact Kentucky’s upcoming medical marijuana program? Gov. Andy Beshear said no, but it could impact its future.

“What it will allow is medical research into marijuana, which right now is prohibited because of how it’s scheduled,” Beshear told LEX 18 earlier this summer. “I do think, in the longer term, it could make an impact. Maybe providing us [with] what we need on some conditions that we believe should be included in the program, but currently are not.”

“If this rescheduling happens, and if it opens up research, my hope is that we can use that to further open this program where it will provide a medical or a therapeutic purpose that will help people,” he added.

Currently, under Kentucky’s current medical marijuana law, only residents with epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, chronic nausea or vomiting, cancer, severe or chronic pain, and post-traumatic stress disorder can qualify for the program.

A bill was filed to expand the program, but it ultimately failed.

It would have included these additional conditions:

• AIDS
• ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease
• Arthritis
• Cachexia or wasting syndrome 
• Fibromyalgia
• Glaucoma
• Hepatitis C
• HIV
• Huntington’s disease
• Crohn’s disease
• Muscular dystrophy
• Neuropathies
• Parkinson’s disease
• Sickle cell disease
• Terminal illnesses