LOUISVILLE, Ky. —
They’re called “cannabis cards” and they promise “medical cannabis certification.” Advertisements for them have been popping up on billboards, social media and even television stations in Kentucky.
There’s only one problem.
Cannabis activists say they won’t keep you from getting arrested if you get pulled over with marijuana and they might not even meet the criteria for a pardon under Gov. Andy Beshear’s executive order.
“They’re not necessary,” Lauren Bratcher, deputy director for Kentucky NORMAL (National Organization for Reform of Marijuana Laws), said. “Save your money.”
Many people have been confused by Beshear’s executive order, assuming it created a medical marijuana program, Bratcher said.
But the order only creates a process to pardon medical marijuana users after they have been charged with simple possession of marijuana.
In order to qualify for a pardon, the accused must meet certain criteria, including having a written certification from a health care provider showing they have been diagnosed with one of 21 categories of illness or medical condition.
Activists say they have seen similar cannabis cards sold in other states. They say Beshear’s executive order is vague and does not go far enough, but they also blame state lawmakers for not having passed marijuana legislation.
“I’m proud of Beshear for what he did, and we’ve got him on camera saying he will not rescind his executive order until legislators pass something equal to or better than what he’s got,” Patrick Dunegan, director of the Kentucky Cannabis Freedom Coalition, said.
H/T: www.wlky.com
