Kentucky cannabis consumers shouldn’t expect to see legalized marijuana anytime soon. Why? Because Kentucky’s governor says he’ll never legalize weed. In fact, Republican Gov. Matt Bevin cited all of the “overdoses” caused by “edibles and things,” as the logic behind his reasoning. As for the number of overdose-related deaths from cannabis? Zero, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Senator Dan. Seum of Louisville Supports Legalization
Gov. Matt Bevin expressed his thoughts on legalized marijuana during a radio interview this week.
The topic was prompted by Republican state senator Dan Seum of Louisville’s recent support for legalizing cannabis. He was inspired by the millions of dollars in tax revenue Colorado saw after legalizing recreational marijuana.
“We are not, while I’m governor, going to be legalizing the use of marijuana in this state for recreational purposes or for revenue-generating purposes,” Bevin said on Terry Meiner’s radio show. “There are people overdosing based on ingestion of products that are edibles and things.”
Bevin’s Pot Perspective Shifted After Election
Closer to election time, Bevin’s thoughts on cannabis legalization were more open-minded.
In fact, he suggested during a debate against Democrat Jack Conway, that there was “unequivocal medical evidence” that marijuana has therapeutic benefits. Furthermore, he said he would support a bill that allowed the herb to “be prescribed like any other prescription drug.”
Unfortunately, until cannabis is removed from Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act, it can never be prescribed like legal drugs in ANY state. In 2015, advocates were concerned that the soon-to-be governor was just providing lip service to secure the vote. They were right to worry because the same man and their current governor says he’ll never legalize weed.
Bevin used an increase of marijuana-related emergency room visits in Colorado to illustrate the dangers of legalizing marijuana. However, the emergency room visits are usually due to temporary anxiety, nothing lethal.
On the other hand, Kentucky is currently suffering from an opioid crisis. Instead of providing victims of the opioid crisis with a safer alternative, Bevin suggested allowing drugs like naloxone to be sold over-the-counter. Naloxone reverses the effects of an opioid overdose, but that’s hardly a solution. It won’t prevent anyone from taking opioids, it will just make it easier for them to continue to do so without consequence.
