UPDATE: Kentucky Medical Cannabis Bill Passes Senate

Editor's Note: This article was originally published March 3 and updated March 17 to reflect the measure passing through the Senate.

A medical cannabis legalization bill has passed the Kentucky Senate, where similar legislation stalled last year after receiving approval in the House.

The Kentucky Senate approved Senate Bill 47 March 16 in a 26-11 vote, according to the Associated Press.

“This is one of those issues where you take out the ledger and you list the pros and cons,” said the bill's main sponsor, Republican Sen. Stephen West, according to the news outlet. “And it’s a long list on both sides. But for me personally, the pros outweigh the cons.”

Thursday's vote came on the final day before lawmakers were set to adjourn for an extended break, which is meant to allow Gov. Andy Beshear time to consider signing or vetoing the legislation sent to him thus far in this year's legislative session, AP reported. The House will be able to take up S.B. 47 in late March, when the Legislature reconvenes for the last two days of this year's legislative session.

“We passed it [in the House] with very strong majorities two times, so I can only think that we’ll have very strong prospects this year,” said Republican Rep. Jason Nemes, according to AP. Nemes has supported medical cannabis legalization in the past.

S.B. 47 cleared the Senate Licensing and Occupations Committee March 14.

The measure making headway in the Senate Committee was a significant win for Kentucky since last year, a similar measure passed the House but failed in the Senate three times.

S.B. 47 was assigned to the Senate Licensing and Occupations Committee March 1, nearly two months after being introduced.

The Republican-sponsored legislation would establish a medical cannabis program and permit practitioners to grant their patients access to medical cannabis if they think they could benefit from it. S.B. 47 outlines a specific list of qualifying conditions, including cancer, multiple sclerosis, chronic pain, epilepsy, chronic nausea and post-traumatic stress disorder, AP reported.

Under Beshear's executive order, which took effect Jan. 1, Kentuckians with qualifying medical conditions can legally purchase cannabis in the U.S., possess up to 8 ounces and use it to treat their medical conditions. But purchasing cannabis in Kentucky remains illegal without approved legislation for a licensed and regulated program.

Beshear introduced the executive order in November 2022, noting that he would work with lawmakers this session to get medical cannabis legalized in Kentucky.

If approved by the House and ultimately signed into law by Beshear, S.B. 47 would take effect in 2025, AP reported, to give state health officials time to establish medical cannabis regulations.

Editor's note: Senior Digital Editor Melissa Schiller contributed to this report.

Join us this year at the Paris Las Vegas Hotel & Casino for Cannabis Conference, the leading education and expo event for plant-touching businesses.