Subject:

Your Letter: I’m writing to urge you to support SB 76, the Cannabis Freedom Act, which would regulate and control the use of marijuana by those who are 21 years and older. Annually, some 6,500 Kentuckians are arrested for minor marijuana possession offenses. These minor offenders, many of them young people, should not be saddled with a criminal record and the lifelong penalties and stigma associated with it. Eight states, encompassing some 20 percent of the US population, have enacted similar adult use regulations. It is time to begin a serious conversation about amending Kentucky’s marijuana laws. The ongoing enforcement of cannabis prohibition financially burdens taxpayers, encroaches upon civil liberties, engenders disrespect for the law, denies relief to patients suffering from diseases that can be helped by medical marijuana, and disproportionately impacts communities of color. Despite more than 70 years of federal marijuana prohibition, Americans' consumption of and demand for cannabis is here to stay. It is time for state lawmakers to acknowledge this reality. It is time to stop ceding control of the marijuana market to untaxed criminal enterprises and it is time for lawmakers to impose common-sense regulations governing cannabis' personal use by adults and licensing its production. A pragmatic regulatory framework that allows for limited, licensed production and sale of cannabis to adults - but restricts use among young people - best reduces the risks associated with its use or abuse. Again, I urge you to support SB 76. Thank you for your time and and consideration.