Beshear shares views on legalizing recreational marijuana in Kentucky
Medical marijuana will be legal in Kentucky beginning Jan. 1, 2025.
A bill recently filed in the Kentucky state House could let voters decide to add a section relating to recreational marijuana use to the Kentucky Constitution.
House Bill 199 was filed Jan. 7 and is sponsored by Kentucky House Representatives Nima Kulkarni and Daniel Grossberg, according to the Kentucky General Assembly’s website. The bill proposes creating a new section of the state constitution that would allow anyone over the age of 21 to possess, use, buy or sell one ounce or less of cannabis. It would also allow people of age to cultivate, harvest and store up to five cannabis plants for personal use.
“Far too many citizens of the Commonwealth have been incarcerated for minor crimes involving the possession of small amounts of cannabis and the vast majority of the citizens of the Commonwealth want to have a say on the legality of cannabis,” the bill states.
The use of medical marijuana in Kentucky was legalized at the start of 2025, though most cardholders had to wait months for the first dispensary to open. If the bill is approved, a question about the proposed section would be included on a ballot for Kentucky voters.
The Kentucky Cannabis Freedom Coalition is a cannabis civil rights organization that advocates for legal changes in Kentucky. According to its website, the bill has been endorsed by the American Civil Liberties Union of Kentucky and the NAACP of Kentucky.
