On Wednesday, March 2, Sen. Perry Clark of Louisville introduced two new Bills, one for Hemp and another for medical marijuana.

Senate Bill 262 is AN ACT relating to industrial hemp.

The “Industrial Hemp Freedom Act” is an extension of the “Cannabis Freedom Act” and seeks to to allow industrial hemp farming as permissible under federal law. It would require that to require the Department of Agriculture to promulgate administrative regulations to administer the industrial hemp licensure program among other things.

(LINK TO PDF SB 262 HERE)

As well, Senate Bill 263 was introduced by Sen. Perry Clark on March 2.

Senate Bill 263 is AN ACT relating to medical cannabis.

This is a medical cannabis bill which is meant for patients only as opposed to SB 13, deemed the “Cannabis Freedom Act” which would repeal prohibition for both medical and recreational users of Cannabis in the State of Kentucky.

This bill seeks to establish a comprehensive system for medical cannabis, including provisions for medical verification of need, persons allowed to cultivate, use, and possess the drug, organizations allowed to assist in providing the drug, regulation by the state Department of Alcoholic Beverage and Cannabis Control, interaction on the part of state and local governments, including law enforcement, with persons and entities coming within the purview of the Act, and the establishment of required reporting and review procedures; rename the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control the Department of Alcoholic Beverage and Cannabis Control; amend various KRS sections to conform; name the act the Cannabis Compassion Act.

Although this Bill requires patient access only and verification of need, it DOES allow for patients to grow their own medicine. At least the patients grow rights are maintained which would mean equal access to medication by the patients.

Although this can in no way be construed as a REPEAL Bill it could be seen as the “lesser of the two evils” as opposed to HB584 which is a much stricter version of a medical marijuana Bill which was filed by Rep. Denver Butler of Louisville on March 1st. HB584 is definitely the most strict of the marijuana Bills introduced as it does not provide for a patient to be able to grow their own medicine. The growing rights would be controlled by “cultivators” who could sell only to manufacturers, processors, or distributors. As was pointed out in a previous article about this Bill, the way the program would be set up is akin to a Monopoly and should be discouraged.

(LINK TO PDF OF SB 263 HERE)