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Kentucky governor backs longer list of conditions eligible for treatment under medical marijuana law

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Kentucky governor backs longer list of conditions eligible for treatment under medical marijuana law


Access to medical marijuana in Kentucky should expand to include a longer list of severe health conditions, Gov. Andy Beshear said Thursday in advocating a change that would make hundreds of thousands more people eligible for treatment when the program begins next year.

The measure passed by the GOP-led legislature in 2023 specified that the eligible conditions include cancer, multiple sclerosis, chronic pain, epilepsy, chronic nausea and post-traumatic stress disorder.

The Democratic governor said the law is based on “providing relief to Kentuckians with severe medical conditions” and should therefore be expanded. He said the list of qualifying conditions should grow to include ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Chron’s disease, sickle cell anemia, cachexia or wasting syndrome, neuropathies, severe arthritis, hepatitis C, fibromyalgia, muscular dystrophy, Huntington’s disease, HIV, AIDS, glaucoma and terminal illness.

“This is a crucial set,” Beshear said at his weekly news conference. “While the legislation referenced several qualifying conditions, it left others out.”

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The expansion would make an estimated 437,000 more Kentuckians eligible, he said.

The governor noted that two advisory boards have recommended that lawmakers expand the list of conditions to include those additional illnesses. One of them, hepatitis C, was recommended by just one of the groups, Beshear said.

The medical cannabis bill cleared the legislature after years of defeats. Beshear quickly signed it into law last March, making it one of the top bipartisan achievements of his first term. The governor won reelection to a second term last November.

Bill supporters cautioned Thursday that any effort to expand the number of eligible conditions would run into resistance in both legislative chambers.

“This is our initial step,” Republican Sen. Stephen West, the bill’s lead sponsor, said in an interview. “Some people want to be on step five, and you’ve got to walk before you can run.”

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One of the most protracted debates last year revolved around which conditions would qualify, and lawmakers “went back and forth” before reaching consensus, West said.

“I think there will be much consternation if we start tinkering with the list of conditions it covers,” he said.

Republican Rep. Jason Nemes, another prominent supporter, agreed, saying: “I don’t think now is the time to make those adjustments.” The measure already includes language allowing for the “opportunity to make those adjustments when appropriate,” he said in a separate interview.

“I think what we need to focus on now is getting all the T’s crossed, all the I’s dotted,” Nemes said.

To that end, Beshear announced that his administration has filed its first batch of regulations governing the medical cannabis program. They provide a framework for how medical cannabis businesses — cultivators, processors, producers and dispensaries — would operate and offer guidance on how products will be packaged, labeled, transported, advertised and tested, he said.

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“These regulations will ensure that Kentucky’s medical cannabis program is safe and accessible for all patients and to make sure that they are secure for our communities,” the governor said.

Beshear said his administration is on track to get the program launched in 2025.

Lawmakers will review those regulations and others. Additional rules on how Kentuckians can apply for a medical cannabis business license will be issued in coming weeks and months, Beshear said.

In another step toward implementation, the state has launched a commercial zoning tool meant to help medical marijuana businesses determine if a proposed location is legal. The law prohibits such businesses from being within 1,000 feet of a primary or secondary school or day care and allows local governments to issue additional zoning restrictions.

Kentucky joined the majority of other states when it legalized medical marijuana.

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Man arrested after pound of meth found in Kentucky home during search warrant

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Man arrested after pound of meth found in Kentucky home during search warrant


BURKESVILLE, Ky. (WSMV) – A man was arrested Friday after a search warrant was executed at a Kentucky home, according to the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office.

The search warrant comes after a weeks-long joint investigation between the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office and Kentucky State Police.

CCSO said a search warrant was executed at a home at 4426 Glasgow Road about 1 p.m. Friday.

During the search, deputies found about one pound of methamphetamine inside the home.

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Stephen Eaves, of Cumberland County, was arrested following the search, CCSO said.

“The Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office will continue to work with all first responding agencies to keep our community as safe as possible,” CCSO said.



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Kentucky bill would change how alcohol, cannabis beverages are taxed

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Kentucky bill would change how alcohol, cannabis beverages are taxed


LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) – A bill that would change how alcohol and cannabis-infused beverages are taxed is under consideration in Frankfort.

House Bill 9 would impose a 4% state retail regulatory license fee on all sales of alcoholic beverages and cannabis-infused beverages to consumers by retailers.

The bill would also establish state wholesale regulatory license fees on those same products and, for the first time, bring kratom, hemp-derived, and cannabinoid products into the formal tax structure.

How the tax would be calculated

Annie Rouse, CEO and founder of CannaBuzz, said the tax itself is not the problem, but how it is calculated could be.

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“Right now it kind of seems like nickel and diming at every part of the supply chain,” Rouse said.

Rouse said the introduction of House Bill 9 means retailers may not be able to absorb the cost of supply chain and retail taxes, eventually passing those costs on to customers. She said the tax would be applied per milligram of THC in a product, rather than on the product’s value — a structure she said mirrors a similar shift happening in the alcohol industry.

“That is also happening with alcohol — they’re moving away from the value tax and moving it to a by-alcohol-volume tax,” Rouse said.

“So kind of taxed on multiple levels. There’s still some work that needs to be done to kind of maybe move some of those taxes around so it’s just one tax,” Rouse said.

Rouse said she is working with legislators to help them understand the best way for the state to earn tax revenue from the products without harming the industries.

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“We need to find that sweet spot so that people aren’t going out of state and instead they’re staying here, they’re buying it here and then we’re continuing to support the economy,” Rouse said.

What customers say

Until the bill is passed, it is unclear how much of a financial impact the tax would have on customers. Customers told WKYT that because cannabis-infused drinks and alcohol are entertainment purchases, those products would be among the first cut from their budgets.

“It’s already an expensive product and, you know, I don’t want to spend an extra four dollars on my sleep gummies or my beer,” said Will Partain, a customer who buys products in both industries.

Partain said a price increase would stop him from shopping local. He said if local companies raise their prices, he would shift to major brands and buy less overall.

What else is in the bill

Beyond the new fee structure, House Bill 9 would repeal Kentucky’s existing excise and wholesale taxes on alcoholic and cannabis-infused beverages on July 1, 2027, replacing them with the new regulatory license fee system.

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The bill would also direct 0.5% of collected state retail regulatory license fees to the Alcohol Wellness and Responsibility Education Fund and create new public health laboratory and testing standards for cannabis-infused beverages, kratom, hemp, and cannabinoid products.

Under the bill, local governments in moist or wet cities and counties would gain new authority to impose their own local regulatory license fees. Existing local fees would be required to drop to 3% within four years; future fees would be capped at 1%.

The bill also includes a permanent prohibition on retail licensees using a premises where alcohol was sold to minors three or more times within 24 months.

Timeline

The bill includes an emergency clause, meaning most provisions could take effect immediately if signed into law. The full tax overhaul — including the sunset of existing excise and wholesale taxes and the full implementation of the new regulatory license fee system — would not take effect until July 1, 2027.

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Kentucky Basketball vs. Florida viewing info, what to watch for, and predictions

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Kentucky Basketball vs. Florida viewing info, what to watch for, and predictions


What an up-and-down season it has been for Kentucky Basketball, as shown by just the last two games: A dominating win over Vanderbilt, where the Wildcats led for 38+ minutes, followed by a double-digit loss to Texas A&M just 72 hours later, allowing a 27-3 run.

While locked in an at-large bid in the NCAA Tournament, the Wildcats are playing for seeding, likely a 6-7 seed in the NCAA Tournament, and anywhere from a 4-10 seed in the SEC Tournament. The last game of the regular season to ultimately decide the latter is the SEC regular-season champion, the Florida Gators.

Already having played once this season, Kentucky trailed by as many as 17 points in the first 10 minutes, but fought back to make it a five-point game in the second half.

Can the Wildcats put together a full 40 minutes together, avoid a season sweep for the first time since 2018, and guarantee themselves a bye in the SEC Tournament?

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Here’s what to watch for in Kentucky vs. Florida, Part II.

While Florida has one of the best frontcourts in the country, one of the deciding factors in the first game was the backcourt play, as Xavian Lee and Urban Klavzar, who had two of their best performances of the season and combined for 41 points.

At this point of the season, the correlation of Kentucky’s success and the play of Otega Oweh, Collin Chandler, and Denzel Aberdeen is pretty clear. Coming off a game against Texas A&M, where they combined for 36 points, on 11-30 shooting, they need to outplay Florida’s backcourt for Kentucky to have a shot at the upset.

Given their elite frontcourt, Florida looks to give their big men plenty of touches around the basket and attack the basket for offensive rebounding opportunities. As a result, they draw fouls at one of the highest rates in the nation, nearly 20 a game.

In the first matchup, Kentucky had four players with four or more fouls, including Brandon Garrison, who fouled out. This limited Malachi Moreno to just 21 minutes, still having a team-high 11 rebounds. Backing him up, Garrison had as many fouls (5) as points, rebounds, and blocks combined.

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Kentucky will likely face foul trouble again, and with a limited frontcourt, Mark Pope has the option of playing Malachi Moreno through foul trouble or hoping for better production from the other bigs. Pope has shown that he would rather go with the latter. Fortunately, Mo Dioubate is coming off his best game of the season, and Garrison had one of his better performances, albeit against a smaller Texas A&M team. They will need to sustain some level of production to give Kentucky a chance against Florida.

Kentucky played well for the final 30 minutes of the first matchup, outscoring Florida 66-60 during that span. It was the first 10 minutes that were the issue, where they turned the ball over 9 times and put themselves into a 17-point deficit.

Whether it be slow starts, as in the Florida game, or tough mid-game stretches like against Texas A&M, too often Kentucky puts itself in a hole with turnovers. Mark Pope has said it, turnovers are a great indicator for this team. When keeping turnovers in the single digits, Kentucky is 11-2; when that number rises to 10 or more, it is just 3-9 against power opponent teams.

Thomas Haugh 6-9, 215 lbs

  • 17.1 PPG
  • 6.0 RPG
  • 17 points and 8 rebounds vs UK on 2/14/26

Reuben Chinyelu 6-10, 265 lbs

  • 11.7 PPG
  • 4.1 APG
  • 22 points, 4-7 3P vs UK on 2/14/26
  • Time: 4:00 PM ET on March 7th
  • Location: Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center in Lexington, KY
  • TV Channel: ESPN
  • Announcers: Karl Ravech, Jimmy Dykes, and Dick Vitale will call the action.
  • Online Stream: WatchESPN and the ESPN app.
  • Radio: Tom Leach and Jack Givens have the call on the UK Sports Radio Network.
  • Replay: WatchESPN and the ESPN network (check local listings)
  • Rosters: UK | UF
  • Stats to Know: UK | UF
  • KenPom: UK | UF
  • Team Sheet: UK | UF
  • Odds: FanDuel Sportsbook has yet to release the odds for this game, so please check back later for those. The analytics have Kentucky as the underdog, giving them anywhere between a 1-3 and 1-4 chance. ESPN is the most positive in Kentucky’s chances, at a 37.2% chance to win. EvanMiya (32.3%), KenPom (29%), and BartTorvik (27%) trail behind, all within five percent of each other.
  • Predictions: The analytics show the most favorable scenario is a five-point loss, with Haslametrics (80-75) and EvanMiya (81-76) projecting that. BartTorvik and KenPom are both in agreement with a seven-point loss, 81-74. Florida is playing like a title contender, riding a 10-game win streak, while Kentucky is struggling to string back-to-back wins. With Florida’s higher level of play, I am taking them to win 85-76.

Sound off in the comments section on how you think this matchup will go.



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