Executive order expands list of qualifying conditions for medical cannabis in Kentucky

Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear has signed an executive order directing the Kentucky Office of Medical Cannabis to further clarify what conditions allow a person to qualify for medical cannabis use.

The executive order adds 15 new qualifying conditions, according to a news release, which are terminal illness, sickle cell anemia, ALS, Parkinson’s disease, HIV, AIDS, Huntington’s disease, muscular dystrophy, cachexia or wasting syndrome, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, nephropathy, severe arthritis, fibromyalgia and glaucoma. These conditions are now included under Kentucky law.

Retired U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Jared Bonvell was on hand for the signing—he’s been an advocate for medical cannabis for some time, particularly for use by veterans suffering with PTSD. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is a condition included in the law.

He says, “Really, it’s an expansion of access for folks. Anytime a law is written, those words mean something, and sometimes the people that write them don’t necessarily understand how limiting those words can be to a patient.”

To date, Kentucky has 32 medical cannabis businesses up and running and has registered over 500 medical cannabis practitioners. More than 23,700 Kentuckians have been approved for medical cannabis cards.