Watch Out for Kentucky Medical Marijuana Card Scams

It’s off to the races in the Bluegrass State. Kentucky is home to Churchill Downs, the track that hosts the legendary Kentucky Derby each year. The state is also famous for its bourbon. Sadly, like all places these days, Kentucky is also home to miserable scammers and con artists looking to prey upon the state’s vulnerable citizens.

If you live in Kentucky, be on the lookout for places that offer you the opportunity to get your Kentucky medical marijuana card. Kentucky does not currently offer medical marijuana cards or have an active medical cannabis program.

What Kentucky has is a smokescreen of confusion brought on by lawmakers that don’t support the will of the public to legalize cannabis. Instead, lawmakers continue to support private contributors and personal agendas. To make matters worse, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear made an announcement that makes cannabis legalization across the state even more confusing.

What’s Up With the Green Grass in the Bluegrass State?

As of Jan. 1, 2023, Gov. Beshear’s executive order allows Kentuckians with specific conditions the right to use medical cannabis.  However, this executive order doesn’t exactly protect them. Beshear was quoted saying,

“Kentuckians suffering from chronic and terminal conditions are going to be able to get the treatment they need without living in fear of a misdemeanor. With 37 states already legalizing medical cannabis and 90% of Kentucky adult supporting it, I am doing what I can to provide access and relief to those who meet certain conditions and need it to better enjoy their life, without pain.”

What the governor should have said is that lawmakers in the state are bought and paid for by private contributors or have private agendas that don’t align with the 90% of registered voters across the state of Kentucky and that this executive order is his way of doing what he can to help. Unfortunately, whether well intended or not, Beshear’s executive order sends a very confusing message about cannabis legalization to all Kentuckians. The rules and conditions are as follows:

• Cannabis must be bought in the United States of America in a state where the purchase is legal and regulated. Kentuckians will need to keep their receipt.
• The amount a person can purchase and possess at any one time must not exceed 8 ounces, which is the difference between a misdemeanor and a felony in Kentucky.
• Each Kentuckian must also have a certification from a licensed healthcare provider that shows that the individual has been diagnosed with at least one of 21 medical conditions. A copy of that certification must be retained.

If you meet these requirements, you are allowed by your lawmakers who don’t care about you to make the trek to another state such as Illinois or Missouri to purchase legal recreational cannabis. Keep in mind that you must have a doctor’s note verifying your qualifying condition. You can then bring that cannabis back into the state with you. Should you get pulled over with it, though, chances are you will still be arrested, taken to jail, have to post bail, and go to court before you can be pardoned for your medical cannabis offense.

Kentucky Proves the Grass Isn’t Always Greener on the Other Side

As someone who travels back and forth from Oklahoma to Ohio on a regular basis—meaning I frequently travel through Kentucky—the state’s hesitation with cannabis makes little sense. You see, Kentucky has no problem with alcohol, tobacco, gambling, and pornography. Why do the state’s lawmakers have such an issue with medical cannabis?

This shows that the lawmakers in the state of Kentucky are bought and paid for. Gov. Beshear supposedly enacted this executive order because it was the only thing he could do. Now, it’s up to lawmakers to help make sense of Kentucky medical cannabis laws. This should be interesting. Perhaps I should support the state’s tobacco industry, alcohol industry, and pornography industry with a cigar, a tall glass of bourbon, and some porn while I sit back and watch the entertainment of Kentucky politicians pretending they care about their people.

To the lawmakers of the state of Kentucky, the citizens of your state deserve better than you. Either become better or prepare to get out of the way and make room for elected representatives who support the will of the people rather than private interest and personal agendas.