A bill that would allow for medical trials of an oil derived from marijuana has emerged from a Kentucky Senate committee.
Following in the footsteps of the state’s law approving industrial hemp, Senate Bill 24 would provide for limited use of cannabis oil for patients suffering from epilepsy and several other serious health conditions.
And while the legislation doesn’t go far enough for some supporters of medical marijuana, bill sponsor Sen. Julie Denton says the limited nature of the trials gives the legislation a better chance of passing both chambers.
"This is narrow enough that I think people can feel fairly comfortable. It's not this broad-based law like they have in California for medical marijuana. This really isn't medical marijuana. You can get this from industrial hemp," Denton told WUKY.
The bill would permit the University of Kentucky and University of Louisville to launch research into cannabis oil.
Participants would have to be enrolled in a U.S. Food and Drug Administration trial.