by Berry White
“For all you Petrochemical-Pharmaceutical-Military-Industrial-Transnational-Corporate-Fascist-Elite-Bastards, I’ve got your karma right here.”
… Gatewood Galbraith
– How stoked would Gatewood be?
As the bluegrass state of Kentucky continues to cultivate mad love for the wave of medical marijuana initiatives sweeping across this great nation, their time… is nearly at hand.
Kentucky – may soon be joining the Army of forward thinking states, which have opted for common sense laws, over political ideology. The great state of Kentucky and its democratic Sen. – Perry B. Clark , have begun the long and arduous process of cultivating marijuana legislation for the rapidly approaching 2013 legislative session.
Should Sen. Perry be successful at getting medical marijuana added to the 2013 legislative session, Kentucky would join the list of states which have chosen common sense, over mean-spirited political dogma. As such – patients who suffer from many of life’s debilitating ailments such as cancer, multiple sclerosis, HIV/AIDS, and a host of other ailments, would then be allowed to visit state approved doctors and if qualified, receive a recommendation to consume medical marijuana.
Should this bill make it through the ‘good old boy’ network of Bourbon swilling, tobacco smoking, Kentucky bluebloods. Kentucky would then be allowed to launch a statewide program, which would allow medical marijuana collectives to operate within full compliance of state regulations, while at the same time providing a service for their constituents. Sen. Clark — mentioned that it was important to germinate this medical marijuana bill early at a July press conference.
While Kentucky’s Sen. Clark is certainly not the first, and most definitely will not be last… to point out that the medical marijuana issue is based neither in conservatism… nor liberalism, but rather humanism.
“Countless studies show that marijuana is effective at treating pain, nausea, loss of appetite, and other symptoms. If it was my family member, I would do anything to relieve their suffering.” (source)
As Sen. Clark looked into his crystal ball and foresaw the coming opposition to this moment of clarity, mostly from the pill popping, Bible thumping religious right. The senator was quick to point out that this bill was specifically aimed at helping chronically ill patients — while at the same time extracting the federal government and their wasteful nature from our healthcare system. Sen. Clark noted that if medical marijuana is good enough for the federal government (they hold the patent on cannabinoids) then …it should be good enough for his state’s voters.
As Sen. Clark prepares to do battle in the cannabis fields of Kentucky, he is not naïve enough to believe that cultivating support within the legislature will be anything but an uphill task. Yet, as any good gardener knows — one must be patient and determined when cultivating a new understanding of a plant…based in science, rather than fear mongering. As poll after poll demonstrates the national sentiment; showing strong support for medical marijuana, nearly 65% of the entire country believes that the federal government needs to readdress these archaic laws, and make medical marijuana available to its public.
This post originally appeared on Marijuana.com and was republished with special permission.
