Starting the Fight on Medical Marijuana in KY
It wouldn't transform the economy the way industrial hemp would, but medical pot would make life worth living again for thousands of Kentuckians suffering chronic pain without relief because of the state's draconian pill-mill law.
Beth Musgrave at the Herald:
Jaime Montalvo used prescription pain pills for several years to treat his multiple sclerosis. He didn't like the side effects, so Montalvo switched to marijuana and began to grow it in his home.Watch video of the rally here.
More than a year ago, when police were searching for a bank robber near his home, the police dogs found his marijuana. He was arrested, placed on probation and the state removed his son from his custody.
"I've never been in trouble before," said Montalvo, who has stopped using marijuana and has his son back, although he remains in pain.
"That's what started me in this movement," Montalvo told a group of more than 50 people at a Capitol rally Wednesday to support Senate Bill 11, which would allow people to use marijuana for medicinal purposes.
The Gatewood Galbraith Medical Marijuana Memorial Act is named in honor of the Lexington lawyer and perennial political candidate who supported legalizing marijuana. Galbraith died in 2012.
Sen. Perry Clark, D-Louisville, said the chances of his bill passing this legislative session are "very slim." But with so many states allowing the use of marijuana for medical purposes and two states — Colorado and Washington — decriminalizing marijuana, Clark predicted Kentucky will soon follow.
"This is an issue where the people are ahead of the politicians," Clark said before the rally.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment