FRANKFORT, Ky. (LEX 18) — Kentucky lawmakers expect medical marijuana to be another big issue in the upcoming 2020 legislative session.
Last session, House Bill 136, a medical marijuana bill, received support from a record number of lawmakers in Kentucky. It ended up not making it far enough, and although some lawmakers are skeptical it'll go much further, they expect it to come back up this upcoming January.
"The chances it'll get through both chambers are slim," said Rep. Lynn Bechler. "If it's reintroduced in the House, I think it's possible, but still unlikely it'll get through."
But if it does, the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control would be in charge of Kentucky's medical marijuana system. So the group reached out to other states to find out how they do it.
Since Oklahoma is similar in size, they used their numbers to make estimates for Kentucky.
"If we take those numbers and project that out for Kentucky, based on our population, we would be looking at 8,200 total business licencees within the first year," said Carol Beth Martin, the Commissioner of the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control.
