If you have one of these health conditions, Kentucky may let you use marijuana

Some Republicans and Democrats in the legislature are calling for Kentucky to legalize medical marijuana this year and permit people to use the drug to treat a variety of health problems.

House Bill 166, which is sponsored by a bipartisan group of state lawmakers, would let qualifying patients diagnosed with a debilitating medical condition use the drug.

To legally use medical marijuana, people would need a recommendation from a health practitioner who meets certain requirements and would have to obtain an identification card from the state. They also would have to adhere to some restrictions, including limits on how much cannabis they can have at one time.

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Jaime Montalvo, of the nonprofit organization Kentuckians for Medicinal Marijuana, provided Courier Journal with a list of conditions that could be treated with medical marijuana under a substitute version of HB 166. State Rep. John Sims Jr., a Flemingsburg Democrat sponsoring the bill, said the substitute has been drafted but hasn't officially been introduced yet.

Here are many of the conditions that could be treated with medical marijuana in Kentucky if this legislation wins the approval of enough state lawmakers:

AIDS (Acquired immune deficiency syndrome)

ALS (Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) (Lou Gehrig’s disease)

Cancer

Chronic or debilitating disease

Cognitive disorders

Crohn’s disease

Cognitive

Fibromyalgia

Glaucoma

Hepatitis C

Irritable bowel syndrome

Movement disorder

Multiple sclerosis

Neurodevelopmental disorders

Peripheral neuropathy

PTSD (Post-traumatic stress disorder)

Seizures

Severe, debilitating pain

Severe nausea

Terminal illness

Traumatic brain injury

Wasting syndrome

The House Judiciary Committee heard testimony this week on HB 166 but did not decide whether to send the bill to the full chamber for a vote. Instead, the group chose Wednesday to pass over the legislation, leaving the option open to reconsider and rule on it later on during the 2018 session, which ends in mid-April.

Rep. Jason Nemes, R-Louisville, said the measure would have been defeated if the committee voted on it Wednesday afternoon. "This way it keeps it alive," he said.

Nemes said he supports medical marijuana but has concerns about some provisions in HB 166 and hopes to make changes that could help the measure move forward before the session ends. Points of contention include how many cannabis plants a patient should be allowed to grow at home.

"I don't think we're dead," Montalvo said of HB 166's chances.

"We've never had this momentum before," he said, noting that the Judiciary Committee spent three consecutive days this week hearing testimony on the proposal as Kentuckians who support medical marijuana flood the legislature with calls.

Under HB 166, the production, sale and use of medical marijuana would be regulated. Publicly smoking the substance would be prohibited, and any person or business that wants to cultivate, distribute or sell it would need state-approved licenses.

Local governments would have a say in whether cannabis-centric dispensaries and businesses could operate within their jurisdictions, and participating governments would receive some of the revenue from an excise tax that would be levied on the production and distribution of the drug.

Proponents say HB 166 would give people struggling with pain a new, legal alternative to opioid prescriptions amid a growing addiction crisis laying waste to too many lives across the commonwealth.

Opponents of the bill who testified this week said medical marijuana would end up in the hands of citizens who don’t need it for health reasons and would be detrimental to public safety. They also cautioned that more research is needed on the drug’s long-term effects and questioned whether legalization actually would reduce opioid use in Kentucky.

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Morgan Watkins: 502-582-4502; mwatkins@courierjournal.com; Twitter: @morganwatkins26. Support strong local journalism by subscribing today: www.courier-journal.com/morganw.

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