In a letter to DEA Administrator Anne Milgram, Governor Andy Beshear endorsed the proposal to reschedule marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III under the Controlled Substances Act.
“As governor, my job is to move our state forward,” said Beshear. “Rescheduling marijuana to Schedule III is a significant, common-sense step forward for all Kentuckians, especially those with significant medical conditions.”
The Governor wrote that the step would help patients have an alternative to deadly opioids and continued access to safe products and help communities further reduce crime and illicit drug use. “Rescheduling would also create fair markets by placing cannabis businesses on the same economic footing as any other business and provide real opportunities for research on marijuana”, states the letter.
Beshear pointed out that marijuana, classified as a Schedule I drug, is currently in the same category as heroin and LSD, suggesting it has “no current accepted medical use.” He noted that this classification makes marijuana appear more dangerous than Schedule II drugs like fentanyl, oxycodone, methadone, methamphetamine, and Vicodin.
“The jury is no longer out on marijuana: It has medical uses and is currently being used for medical purposes,” Beshear wrote. “The recognition is overwhelming — and bipartisan. For example, I signed a medical marijuana law that passed with support from Republican legislative supermajorities and a Democratic governor.”
The letter also outlines that nationally, opioid use killed 80,000 Americans in 2022. In the same year, marijuana use alone killed zero Americans. The Governor said that is why Kentucky’s Office of Drug Control Policy, the Cabinet for Health and Family Services and the Department for Behavioral Health, Developmental and Intellectual Disabilities all support rescheduling.
In 2023, Beshear, who is considered a potential running mate for Kamala Harris if President Joe Biden decides to step aside, signed into law legislation that legalized medical marijuana.
