Gov. Andy Beshear of Kentucky announced on Thursday that access to medical marijuana in the state should be broadened to include a greater number of serious health conditions. This change would allow for hundreds of thousands more individuals to seek treatment when the program launches in the upcoming year.

In 2023, the Republican-controlled legislature approved a measure that stated the qualifying conditions for medical assistance include cancer, multiple sclerosis, chronic pain, epilepsy, chronic nausea, and post-traumatic stress disorder.

The governor of the Democratic party stated that the legislation aims to assist individuals in Kentucky who are suffering from serious medical conditions, and therefore, it should be broadened. He suggested that the list of eligible conditions should be extended to encompass ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Chron’s disease, sickle cell anemia, cachexia or wasting syndrome, neuropathies, severe arthritis, hepatitis C, fibromyalgia, muscular dystrophy, Huntington’s disease, HIV, AIDS, glaucoma, and terminal illness.

During his weekly press briefing, Beshear emphasized the importance of this particular set of regulations. Although the law mentioned some qualifying factors, it failed to include others.

According to him, the increase would allow approximately 437,000 additional residents of Kentucky to qualify.

The governor mentioned that two advisory committees have suggested that legislators broaden the range of medical conditions to encompass those extra illnesses. According to Beshear, only one of the committees recommended adding hepatitis C to the list.

After multiple defeats, the medical marijuana legislation was passed by the legislature. In March of last year, Beshear wasted no time in signing it into effect, marking it as one of the major bipartisan accomplishments of his initial term. In November, the governor was successfully reelected for a second term.

On Thursday, advocates for Bill warned that attempting to increase the number of qualifying conditions would face opposition in both houses of the legislature.

According to Republican Senator Stephen West, who is the primary sponsor of the bill, this is our first step. He explained in an interview that while some people may want to jump ahead to step five, it’s important to take things one at a time and build a foundation before moving forward.

The discussion that lasted the longest last year was about the requirements that would be considered valid. According to West, the legislators deliberated back and forth before finally reaching an agreement.

He stated that there will likely be a lot of concern if we begin altering the list of conditions it includes.

Another well-known advocate, Republican Representative Jason Nemes, also concurred, stating that he believes it is not the right time to make those changes. In a different interview, he mentioned that the proposal already contains provisions for the chance to make adjustments at a suitable time.

Nemes stated that our current priority should be ensuring that all the details are taken care of.

Beshear recently revealed that his team has submitted the initial set of rules for the medical cannabis program. These regulations establish guidelines for the operations of medical cannabis companies, including cultivators, processors, producers, and dispensaries. They also outline protocols for packaging, labeling, transportation, advertising, and testing of products.

The governor stated that these rules will guarantee the safety and accessibility of Kentucky’s medical marijuana program for all patients and also ensure the security of our communities.

Governor Beshear stated that his administration is making progress towards the launch of the program in 2025.

Legislators will examine those statutes and others. Further guidelines on the process for Kentuckians to obtain a medical marijuana business permit will be released in the near future, according to Beshear.

The state has recently introduced a commercial zoning tool to aid medical marijuana companies in determining the legality of potential locations. The law states that these businesses cannot be within 1,000 feet of a primary or secondary school or day care, and local governments have the authority to impose further zoning limitations.

The legalization of medical marijuana in Kentucky aligns with the stance of the majority of other states.