This year we have an opportunity to bring medical marijuana in to Kentucky with HB-136. Since 2015 many states have joined in legalizing marijuana for medicinal purposes. If Kentucky passes the medical marijuana bill our state will have the chance to strictly regulate the use of cannabis for medical purposes through the Department of Alcoholic Beverage and Cannabis Control, which would have a dramatic positive affect on the commonwealth and the city of Somerset. Studies show around 55 million Americans use cannabis. The Kentucky bill, HB-136, is likely to pass in 2020, and like alcohol it will have “wet” and “dry” cities; marijuana will have to pass a vote locally in Somerset to be sold in our city. Lexington has already prepared by voting on and approving a medical marijuana program when the bill passes state wide.

 

The national Institute of Health states that there is evidence of marijuana being used to medicate for over 3,000 years. Today around 2.8 million Americans use medical marijuana. So how will medical marijuana help the people in Somerset who might seek it? Every day it is estimated that 18-22 veterans commit suicide due to PTSD. Cannabis greatly reduces and improves the symptoms of PTSD by reducing nightmares and providing a calm and relaxed feeling, along with many other mental illnesses. When it comes to the opioid epidemic medical marijuana has reduced opioid overdose related deaths by 25% already and has assisted many other people overcome other very dangerous addictions. Our brain has natural cannabinoid receptors in our central nervous system to easily process the chemicals found in the plant. Medical marijuana has also been shown to improve things such as:

 

Relieving Inflammation

Relieving chronic pain

Taking away nausea and vomiting

Relieve tight muscles with people who suffer from Multiple Sclerosis

Giving people with eating disorders an appetite and relaxing their anxiety about eating

Promotes the removal of toxic clumps of amyloid beta protein in the brain, which causes the start of Alzheimer’s disease

Relieving tremors in Parkinson’s disease

Stop seizures with epilepsy

Reducing intraocular pressure related to glaucoma

Relieving symptoms in Crohn’s disease

Stabilizing blood sugar in people with diabetes

Opening arteries to improve blood circulation and lower high blood pressure

Medical marijuana has also shown to reduce and kill some types of cancer cells and take away nausea in chemotherapy patients giving them back their appetite and overall improving their outlook. It has also shown to increase lung capacity when smoking it unlike cigarettes (CARDIA Study), improves concentration, and shows promise to relieve self injurious behaviors in individuals with autism.

 

I have personally seen the positive affects of marijuana being used medicinally on chemo patients. I have seen it stop a seizure before it happens and during the episode. It has relieved back pain in people I know with scoliosis. I have seen it calm people with PTSD and anxiety/depression. It is a fact that it reduces the need for people to get stuck taking pills day after day, and will reduce the number of people becoming addicted to opiates and other narcotics. It’s a tragedy that people in Somerset who need cannabis cannot have access to it because it is not legal in our state and are criminalized and demonized for the thought of using marijuana to help treat their illness. Somerset has seen so much growth and change in the last few years, so let’s come together, be a part of the solution, and make medical marijuana treatment possible for our local citizens through HB-136.

 

 

https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/record/19rs/hb136.html