Governor Andy Beshear announced who will serve on the Team Kentucky Medical Cannabis Advisory Committee. Beshear announced in April that he would create the committee to study potentially acting on medical cannabis after legislators failed to pass a bill during the 2022 session. Justice and Public Safety Cabinet Secretary Kerry Harvey and Public Protection Cabinet Secretary Ray Perry will serve as co-chairs.
Members include:
- Dr. Amber Cann of La Grange, pharmacy coach and adjunct professor at Spalding University;
- Julie Cantwell of Rineyville, advocate with Kentuckians for Medical Marijuana;
- Jennifer Cave of Louisville, attorney, Stites and Harbison;
- Eric Crawford of Maysville, advocate;
- Cookie Crews of Frankfort, Department of Corrections commissioner;
- Dr. John Farmer of Louisville, OB/GYN, medical director of Solid Ground Counseling and Recovery, addiction treatment provider in Louisville, Morehead and Hazard;
- Dr. Jonathan Hatton of Whitesburg, family medicine, Mountain Comprehensive Health;
- Brian Jointer of Jeffersonville, Indiana, certified public health worker in Louisville;
- Dr. Nick Kouns of Lexington, internal medicine, Clark Regional Medical Center;
- Alex Kreit of Cincinnati, director of the Chase Center on Addiction Law and Policy at Northern Kentucky University;
- Dr. Linda McClain of Louisville, OB/GYN, Commonwealth Counseling Center;
- Andrew Sparks of Lexington, former assistant U.S. attorney;
- Dee Dee Taylor of Louisville, chief executive officer, 502 Hemp Wellness Center;
- Julie Wallace of Morganfield, Union County Attorney; and
- Kristin Wilcox of Beaver Dam, co-founder of Kentucky Moms for Medical Cannabis.
Beshear signed an executive order naming committee members, outlining their terms, and listing expectations. The order restates comments from April in which Beshear said the committee will travel to various regions of the state to hold public hearings. They will provide feedback from those meetings to the governor. Beshear has not announced when the group will meet.
Members will serve two-year terms.
Beshear appointed no lawmakers to the committee. Representative Jason Nemes (R-Louisville) has sponsored legislation to legalize medical cannabis. He expressed optimism that Kentucky will address the issue.
“This is an impressive group of people from around the Commonwealth and I hope it helps enact legislation giving Kentuckians access to medicinal cannabis,” said Nemes.
