Beshear predicts leeway for some action on medical cannabis

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Gov. Andy Beshear sounded increasingly confident Thursday that he will have the leeway to take “at least some executive action” to make medical marijuana legally accessible in Kentucky.

It was the governor’s strongest signal yet that he might singlehandedly allow medical marijuana for Kentuckians suffering from certain medical conditions. His prediction comes as his legal team reviews his options on a long-running issue that stalled in the legislature.

The Democratic governor first floated the possibility of executive action about a month ago, and since then the latest bill to legalize medical marijuana died in the Republican-dominated state Senate.

“The legal analysis is not yet finalized, but I do think that there is going to be room for at least some executive action,” Beshear said Thursday when asked for an update at his weekly news conference.

The governor maintains that legalizing medical cannabis has strong support among Kentuckians. He didn’t specify Thursday what actions might be at his disposal to make it legally available.

“Whatever steps we’re able to take, we want them to be clear,” the governor said. “We want it to serve a purpose. It is not a back-end way to allow recreational marijuana. So we want to make sure that we do it right.” [Read More @ AP News]