Medical Marijuana is Good for Kentuckians — Let’s Let the Doctor Decide

I was the principal sponsor of the medical marijuana bill since 2018, and in 2023 we (finally) got the bill passed. As a result citizens who will be helped by medical marijuana will have access to this medication with the approval of their physician.

When I ran for office in 2016 I was against medical marijuana. I have never used marijuana in my life and I hadn’t really thought much about marijuana policy, other than to know that I was against it. So when I was asked by constituents to meet with them at the Crestwood Library, my mind wasn’t really that open. But after listening to regular people tell me their stories I started to research it for myself. I read everything I could, talked with colleagues, and called a number of doctors in my district. I was wrong. It is not easy to admit that you’re wrong on such an important topic. But I was. So I decided to lead the charge to legalize medical marijuana in Kentucky.

Since I changed my position I have met with literally hundreds of citizens across Kentucky and in my district who have told me their personal stories. From the father with multiple sclerosis who just wants to go to work and provide for his family and needs medical marijauna to help with his muscle spasticity, to the 85-year-old man who lives in Anchorage who recently lost his wife and told me through tears that medical marijuana allowed his late wife to get up off the couch and live in her last days, to the couple and daughter pictured above who wants the chance to replace a bag-full of daily pills with medical marijuana as so many with her same condition in other states have done, to countless others, I am proud to have been able to deliver for these patients so they and their doctors could make the choice that is best for them without government interference.

Finally, I made a commitment to my district that I would fight for medical marijuana as long as it took to get it passed. Well, it took five years, but I am happy that I was able to keep my promise and to actually pass this landmark legislation.