FRANKFORT, Kentucky — Kentucky farmers can grow hemp, and now Kentucky doctors can use it for medicine.
Gov. Steve Beshear signed into law on Thursday a bill that allows doctors at two Kentucky research hospitals to prescribe cannabidiol to treat patients. The oil gets a lot of attention because it comes from marijuana plants. But Kentucky plans to get its supply from industrial hemp crops that at least seven Kentucky farmers plan to plant next month.
The bill Beshear signed comes one year after the Kentucky legislature laid the groundwork for the state to begin growing hemp again – marijuana’s less potent cousin that once thrived in Kentucky before it was banned.
The federal farm bill – signed into law in February – allows states to grow hemp for research purposes. Next month, at least seven Kentucky farmers plan to plant hemp for various pilot projects in partnership with Kentucky research universities, according to Holly Harris VonLuehrte, chief of staff for Kentucky Agriculture Commissioner James Comer. Those projects include medical research.
Supporters of the bill note that cannabidiol has been particularly effective in treating seizures in children. That’s one of the main reasons state Sen. Julie Denton, R-Louisville, sponsored the bill. Denton has a daughter who once suffered from epilepsy.
“People were having to move out of our state to go and live in Colorado or California just so they could get this. I thought that was crazy,” Denton said. “If it’s really great, we should have that available for our folks here in Kentucky.”
The law is effective immediately. But don’t expect Kentucky doctors to begin writing prescriptions. The law limits prescriptions only to doctors at the University of Louisville and University of Kentucky research hospitals. Gary Mans, a University of Louisville spokesman, said doctors are just beginning to discuss when, how often and in what dosages to prescribe cannabidiol.
“I am confident that this law will provide the relief that these families seek, without creating complications for our law enforcement community,” Beshear said in a news release.
Denton said the law should not be misconstrued as a precursor to recreational marijuana use in Kentucky. But she said it could lead to laws allowing Kentucky research hospitals to study medical marijuana.
Gov. Beshear signs bill allowing cannabis oil to treat medical conditions
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