Following Biden’s marijuana pardons, here’s what Beshear says about next steps in Kentucky

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The day after President Joe Biden committed to pardoning all federal offenses of simple marijuana possession and urged the nation’s governors to do the same, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear’s office said he is weighing next steps.

“The Governor agrees that no one should be in jail simply because of possession of marijuana,” Beshear spokesperson Scottie Ellis said. “The White House had not alerted and has not briefed our office on exactly what his pardons may require and the specific details of what they will and will not cover.

“The Governor looks forward to reviewing those details when available in his larger analysis on medical cannabis and how to move forward when the vast majority of Kentuckians demand it.”

State Rep. Nima Kulkarni, D-Louisville, released a statement Friday alongside several advocacy groups asking Beshear to issue state-level pardons.

“This would immediately help more than 7,000 of our citizens, many of whom are people of color,” the group wrote. “Despite clear evidence showing cannabis usage among races is largely the same, minorities are still four times more likely to be arrested nationally, and 10 times more likely in Kentucky, which is a travesty. Such a broad state pardon – which the Kentucky Supreme Court has upheld as legal in principle – would better balance the scales of justice while effectively stopping future prosecutions.”

The American Civil Liberties Union of Kentucky, the Kentucky State Conference of the NAACP, Minorities for Medical Marijuana, Kentucky NORML and the Kentucky Cannabis Freedom Coalition joined Kulkarni in issuing the statement.

The group also emphasized the need to raise money for expungement costs “so that everyone who benefits truly has the clean record they deserve, and we need the General Assembly to act on cannabis decriminalization, as well as legalization, so that the will of a majority of Kentuckians finally becomes law.”

Beshear announced in April plans to launch a Medical Cannabis Advisory Committee, and members of the group were appointed in June.

The committee released findings last week saying the majority of Kentuckians want medical marijuana to be legalized in the commonwealth.

“Polling suggests 90% of Kentucky adults support legalizing medical cannabis. Our team traveled the state to talk directly to Kentuckians, and they found our people do indeed overwhelmingly support it,” Beshear said in a statement. “I appreciate the work of those who participated, and I am taking this information into consideration as I analyze what steps I can take to legalize medical cannabis for those suffering from chronic, debilitating medical conditions.”

The committee found that Kentuckians are leaving the state to access medical marijuana where it is legal and want to be able to return home without breaking the law, a news release said.

A survey on the state’s website allowed users to submit opinions online. Of those 3,539 comments, nearly 99% expressed support for legalizing medical marijuana.

Herald-Leader politics reporter Austin Horn contributed to this story.