Ryan Quarles candidate for Kentucky Governer vows to legalize marijuana elected.

On the steps of the Kentucky Capitol, Ryan Quarles, a candidate for governor from the Republican party, announced that he would collaborate with the General Assembly to legalize medical marijuana in the state during his first year in office. Quarles, who is Kentucky’s agriculture commissioner and has run the state’s hemp licensing program for two terms, emphasized his experience in the industry and criticized Governor Andy Beshear’s executive order on medical marijuana, which he believed would create confusion and not involve Kentucky agriculture.

Quarles argued that medical marijuana should be treated as other medications, meaning that it should not be taxed. He also highlighted the benefits of the legislation for Kentucky farmers, including those already growing hemp. Quarles sees medical marijuana legalization as an issue of access to care, citing the relief that medical marijuana could provide to patients receiving end-of-life care who are currently self-medicating.

In contrast to Beshear’s executive order, which set criteria for Kentuckians with certain medical conditions to access medical cannabis in small amounts, Quarles supports the involvement of a doctor-patient relationship in the process, as opposed to big government involvement. Beshear has noted that 90% of adult Kentuckians support the legalization of medical cannabis, but Quarles believes that the legislation should be passed through the General Assembly and not implemented through an executive order.

When asked how he plans to get legislation on medical marijuana through the Senate, where similar bills have failed in recent years, Quarles suggested that he would use his experience working with the General Assembly and a “consensus-driven” policy-making approach to find common ground over the next year. The current legislative session has seen bills on medical marijuana, such as Senate Bill 47 from Sen. Stephen West, R-Paris, filed.

Quarles emphasized that Tuesday’s press conference would only focus on medical use and added that Delta-8 products should be regulated. Quarles is one of 12 Republican candidates seeking the party’s nomination with 10 weeks left until the May 16 primary. Although Quarles believes that none of the other candidates are “better positioned in this race to have a conversation about what the framework would be like to help pass a responsible medical marijuana bill through the General Assembly,” he clarified that he was not focused on other campaigns, only his.

Other Republican candidates for governor, including Attorney General Daniel Cameron and former United Nations Ambassador Kelly Craft, have not responded to questions about their positions on medical and recreational marijuana. Meanwhile, Alan Keck, the mayor of Somerset who is also a Republican candidate for governor, supports medical marijuana access as a “common sense solution” for issues such as pain management and children who suffer from seizures.