The Kentucky Office of Medical Cannabis has sent a letter to the legislative leadership recommending the General Assembly expand Kentucky’s list of qualifying medical conditions for medical cannabis.
The recommendation calls for adding 16 more conditions, including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Parkinson’s disease, irritable bowel disease, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, sickle cell anemia, cachexia or wasting syndrome, neuropathies, arthritis, fibromyalgia, muscular dystrophy, Huntington’s disease, Human Immunodeficiency virus (HIV), acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), glaucoma and terminal illness.
“Expanding the list to include these conditions could help provide relief to approximately 430,000 Kentuckians,” Beshear said at a Feb. 5 news conference. “In most other states that have medical cannabis, these conditions are included, and this recommendation aligns with the Kentucky Board of Physicians and Advisors, which unanimously supported expanding qualifying conditions.”
The eligible conditions in the current law are cancer, multiple sclerosis, muscle spasms or spasticity, chronic pain, epilepsy or any other seizure disorder, chronic nausea and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Since Kentucky Health News last reported on this topic, another dispensary has opened. Bluegrass Cannacare opened in Florence on Feb. 7, bringing the state’s total to seven.
“The opening of Bluegrass Cannacare means patients in Boone, Kenton, Campbell and surrounding counties won’t have to travel far to access the medicine they rely on,” Rachel Roberts, executive director of The Kentucky Cannabis Industry Alliance, said in a news release. “That matters for real people, real families and real health needs in this community.”
Beshear said five cultivators, two safety compliance facilities, one processor and seven dispensaries are approved to operate in the commonwealth, and two more processors, two more dispensaries, and one more cultivator are scheduled for inspection in February.
Beshear also announced that gummies are now on the market in Kentucky.
“As the supply chain expands, patients are starting to see more options come online,” he said.
So far, more than 18,500 Kentuckians have been approved for medical cannabis cards and over 510 practitioners are registered to issue certifications, according to Beshear.
Also in medical marijuana news, WKYT-TV digs into the question: Can I get a medical marijuana card with a drug conviction? The short answer is “probably,” as long as a few qualifications are met.
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Written by Melissa Patrick. Cross-posted from KY Health News.
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