LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — Advocating for medical marijuana isn’t something C.J. Carter takes lightly. As Kentucky’s state director for Minorities for Medical Marijuana, Carter said legalization is his mission.
“Cannabis as a whole has the potential to change the future for the state of Kentucky,” he said. “It’s time that we expand our outlook.”
Kentucky has made steps recently toward legalization. Senate Bill 47 cleared the Senate Licensing and Occupations Committee on an 8-3 vote Tuesday before it was sent to the full Senate, which voted 26-11 to pass the bill Thursday evening. It now heads back to the House for a reading before it would be sent to Gov. Andy Beshear’s desk.
Medical marijuana legalization bills died in past years on the Senate side without even getting a committee hearing. And while this is further than it’s gone, Carter said there are some areas where SB 47 lacks, specifically when it comes to decriminalizing marijuana and addressing social equity.
“Social equity is addressing and righting the wrongs that have been caused from the trauma associated with the war on drugs,” Carter said. “In terms of implementing social equity, what that entails is allocating a certain percentage of the applications for minorities, specifically black folks, in terms of getting a percentage of, say, the dispensary license or cultivation license or…
