Supporters of legalizing medical marijuana are once again urging Kentucky lawmakers to increase access to the drug. Advocates say marijuana can help treat pain and provides health benefits to the user—something disputed by critics of legalization.
One of Kentucky’s most vocal and passionate supporters of medical marijuana is Louisville Democratic Senator Perry Clark, who has repeatedly sponsored legislation that would make the drug available through a doctor’s prescription. Speaking to members of a joint legislative Health and Welfare Committee, Clark said marijuana is “forbidden medicine.”
Supporters of medical marijuana say it could be a much better pain-relieving alternative to highly-addictive prescription drugs like oxycodone. But critics, like Lexington Republican Representative Robert Benvenuti, said the medical evidence concerning the benefits of marijuana is still an open issue.
Benvenuti was quoted in the Courier Journal as saying “Until I’m assured where the clinical evidence is, this is not going to have my support.”
