A bill which would legalize medicinal marijuana easily passed the Kentucky House of Representatives on Thursday.
According to the Legislative Research Commission, the bill, House Bill 136, was posted for passage Thursday afternoon. The Courier-Journal is reporting that HB136 cleared the house by a 65-30 vote following a debate of more than an hour and more than a dozen floor amendments.
HB136 now heads to the Senate for consideration. The Courier-Journal speculates the bill will face difficulty in the Senate, as Senate President Robert Stivers, a Manchester Republican, has expressed skepticism about legalizing medicinal marijuana.
The bill would allow doctors to prescribe medicinal marijuana, and would rename the state’s Alcoholic Beverage Control division of the Public Protection Cabinet to the Department of Alcoholic Beverage and Cannabis Control. The bill would also establish an excise tax of 12 percent on cultivators and processors for selling to dispensaries, as well as other revenue and law enforcement measures.
State representatives Chris Harris and Angie Hatton are among the co-sponsors for the bill.
