When does Kentucky legalize?

Bridget Keeton Dorsey is the executive director of Kentucky Cannabis Legalization Advocates.

She suffers from fibromyalgia and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). She is not allowed to own the plant she says saved her life in her home state.

"I was told that I was likely to be dead, that I couldn't even be helped, and that I should probably prepare to die," said Dorsey.

Things changed when she started using cannabis for medicinal purposes.

"I ate for the first time in 10 months. In 10 months. If you've never been on an IV for 10 months and haven't had anything solid, then suddenly you can actually eat. Oh dear," she said.

Dorsey said she is constantly on the phone to people who are in jail cells for possession of small amounts of cannabis and tries to help them.

If two bills proposed by MP Nima Kulkarni come into force, it would go a long way in solving the problems Dorsey and the people she helps face.

"In my opinion, decriminalization has to be done at the same time, if not before legalization," said Kulkarni.

The first proposal would put the question of whether to support the decriminalization of cannabis in the hands of the electorate.

"The majority of Kentuck residents and the majority of Americans want some cannabis legalization for adult use," Kulkarni said.

The second law would decriminalize owning up to an ounce and growing up to five plants at home. It would also require the courts to erase minor cannabis offenses that, according to Kulkarni, disproportionately affect people of color.

Dorsey said she was a supporter of both bills.

"Legalization" is a broad term, said Kulkarni, which usually includes either medical or unrestricted recreational use by adults.

In the past, Kulkarni had put forward a broader plan to fully legalize cannabis, which also included a framework for regulating and taxing the industry. However, it never got the necessary momentum, as did all the other similar bills that have been tabled.

"Kentucky is known to be 20 years behind all other countries. We belong to a shrinking minority of states that have no regulations whatsoever on cannabis use. And as all states around us legalize cannabis to some extent, it is becoming increasingly clear to me, that we have to do something at the state level to clarify how we want to move forward, "said Kulkarni.

Dorsey explained why it was difficult to get a cannabis law passed in the Commonwealth,

“Kentucky has family traditions, that's literally a song I've heard over and over again: It's all a family tradition. And traditions are very important to us. And it's hard to let go of them,” she said.

Kulkarni said she believed that decriminalization would get more bipartisan support first, and that she would have a better chance of getting the law passed.

The introduction of the medicinal use of cannabis is another area where lawmakers have tried and failed. But Kulkarni said she believes in a future where cannabis is decriminalized and legal for both medical and recreational use in Kentucky.

"It feels like a long-distance shot at every level, but I think the wind is turning. I think people can see the dynamics," said Kulkarni.

Dorsey said she hoped this was the future she could live in.

"I don't think this is about Democrats, Libertarians or Republicans. I know people of every race, skin color, spectrum, age and background. I don't care. The level of education doesn't matter. They use cannabis," she said.

Kulkarni said she hoped her bills would be discussed extensively in the 2022 legislative period beginning Jan. 4.