FRANKFORT — A bill to legalize medical marijuana in Kentucky that passed the state House by a wide margin two weeks ago was finally assigned to a Senate committee on Monday, though its chairman is not sure if the legislation will receive a hearing and vote.

"I know it won’t get a hearing until I’m OK with it, and for sure I’ve still got questions right now," said Sen. Whitney Westerfield, R-Hopkinsville, the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

House Bill 136 would set up what has been described by both supporters and opponents as the most restrictive medical marijuana law in the country, allowing doctors to prescribe cannabis and patients to obtain it at approved dispensaries under state regulations.

After a decade of failed attempts by medical marijuana advocates, HB 136 passed by a 65-30 vote in the House on Feb. 20, the first time either chamber had voted on such legislation. Nearly all Democratic members voted for the bill, along with a slight majority of Republicans.

The large faction of socially conservative House Republicans who voted against the bill raised concerns about insufficient research on the health effects of marijuana use and the possibility it would be a slippery slope toward legalizing recreational marijuana.

Westerfield told The Courier Journal he is poring over the bill and mentioned several areas of concern where he "would want to change or at least have someone explain to me why they’re in there in the first place.”

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The committee chairman specifically brought up questions about the legal definition of a designated caregiver for a medical marijuana patient and whether the bill would allow "people from other countries that have medical marijuana to get it here."

Westerfield also said the government would be "putting a thumb on the market" in the bill by having a state department determine if a cannabis company has sufficient capital to maintain operations.

"I’ve got notes in every section I’ve read so far, and I haven’t finished the bill yet," Westerfield said.

Rep. Jason Nemes, R-Louisville, the main sponsor of HB 136, told The Courier Journal he had no problem with Westerfield's concerns, as he expects senators to do their jobs vetting the legislation.

“Every legislator comes to this with significant questions and (Westerfield) has shown that he’s diving into the bill and asking serious questions," Nemes said. "All we ask for is a fair opportunity, and I think he’s giving that to us right now."

While it may take a while to win over Westerfield and get a committee hearing, Nemes says the bill has enough support and votes to pass in both the committee and on the floor of the Senate.

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In order to get a vote on the floor, the bill would have to gain a majority of the Senate Republican caucus. While Nemes hasn't counted the votes yet in that caucus, he said he expects to get there eventually.

“When you have an open mind and when you come to it in fairness, nine out of 10 people turn their opinions," Nemes said. "And that’s what I expect it will be in the Senate as well.”

Westerfield wasn't sure if a caucus majority needed to support the bill in order for it to receive a vote in committee, "but I think we’re going to have a caucus conversation before I’m prepared to move it forward."

Republican Senate President Robert Stivers, long a skeptic of efforts to legalize medical marijuana, has said several times during the legislative session that the bill now has a "narrow path" to passage in the Senate. He told reporters last week he had met with Nemes to discuss the bill.

Nemes said Stivers “promised me a fair chance” for his bill in that meeting.

With only one-third of the General Assembly's 60-day session left, Nemes said he'd like to see HB 136 move as soon as possible in the Senate, but no legislation is truly dead until final adjournment at midnight on April 15.

"Whenever the Senate is ready, I’ll be ready," Nemes said. "And if that’s this week or if that’s the last week of the session, that’s fine."

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Reach reporter Joe Sonka at jsonka@courierjournal.com or 502-582-4472 and follow him on Twitter at @joesonka. Support strong local journalism by subscribing today: courierjournal.com/subscribe.