The Kentucky State government says it is looking for, "new revenue streams' to help rein in a budget that is sometimes estimated to be 1 billion to 1.5 billion dollars short over two years. Much has been said about expanded gambling as a means to this end. The problem is that the loyal opposition will not allow that to happen. It is beyond me why they would rather let Kentucky's gambling money go to other states but that is their prerogative.
There is another, "new revenue stream' that would be more beneficial to our citizens than gambling. A medical marijuana bill for Kentucky would create jobs, millions in revenue and, unlike gambling, provide relief to the tens of thousands of our citizens who suffer from the numerous illnesses whose symptoms can be relieved and cured by this wonderful medicine.
Admittedly, legislators have a reluctance to support drug law reform because of the boogeyman created by 40 years of Federal Government anti-drug propaganda, but State legislators must remember that the Federal Government is required by the Controlled Substances Act of 1970, to lie about any drug that is listed as, "schedule 1' as marijuana is. The Feds are prohibited from saying anything positive even if it is the truth. Anything the Federal Government says about marijuana is certainly circumspect. The only good thing to come out of the Federal Government is it's decision not to interfere with medical marijuana users, doctors and providers as long as they comply with state law.
To you legislators who have only to propose this bill for us to start the process, let me say this:
Picture William Frawley in the movie, 'Miracle on 34th Street'. He played the Campaign Manager of the Judge who was hearing the Kris Kringle case. The manager reminded the judge of all the kids and their parents who were gonna remember him and how he ruled. In a kind of reversal on that, if you legislators propose and pass this bill, there are gonna be a lot of very grateful people. Beginning but not limited to the hundreds possibly thousands of Kentuckians who now have jobs not to mention the thousands of Kentuckians who are gonna be selling them houses and cars and bread and teaching their kids, those people are gonna be grateful too! Then also there are the tens of thousands whose suffering and fear of persecution is relieved by the bill, they and their caregivers are gonna be grateful. How about the thousands of our Kentucky citizens who rely on state services that will not have to be cut because of the revenue a medical marijuana bill will bring in. They are also gonna be grateful, real grateful!
You know who's not gonna be grateful? The voters are not gonna be grateful. The voters are gonna again be disappointed, disgusted and totally fed up with an Assembly which, not having accomplished anything substantial in the last eight Assemblies, will not have accomplished anything that will benefit the average Kentuckian during this Assembly. All this disgust and disappointment will be happening right before the elections. Right at the time when you least want ungrateful voters. If 2 legislators proposed and sponsored this bill in a bipartisan manner and it passed it would go a long way toward mollifying the mood of the voters before the election and make them feel that maybe the team in place can get something done and they will vote accordingly. Remember this issue has been studied by no less than 14 State public safety committees, 14 State health and welfare committees, 14 State Law and Justice committees, 14 State House and 14 State Senate hearings and votes and has passed. I would suspect that if there was an serious problem it would have surfaced by now.
Putting aside all the political and monetary reasons for proposing and passing this bill leaves the most important reason, to safely make available to our citizens, under the supervision of a doctor, this wonderful medicine. Marijuana has been shown to be beneficial in the treatment of cancer, aids, chronic pain, cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, post traumatic stress syndrome and the list goes on. There is a high probability that at some point in your life you or someone you care about will have an illness that can be helped by this medicine, usually to cope with some kind of pain or suffering. I want this medicine available for me and those I love. There is no valid reason the citizens of 14 other states should be allowed access to medical marijuana and not the citizens of Kentucky! Do we not deserve relief as much as the next guy?
There is no reasonable justification for the Kentucky General Assembly to not propose and pass a medical marijuana bill before this session ends. To leave the citizens of Kentucky to suffer yet another year is arrogant and cruel and Kentuckians deserve better!