Acknowledging Thursday that he views the GOP-led General Assembly's vote for the research center as a stalling tactic to avoid taking action on legalization, Beshear said he still sees value in moving forward with it.
"I moved ahead with the center for cannabis at UK because I think it can work with legalized marijuana. It should not stall us in moving toward it. This thing's time has come."Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear
Meanwhile, the governor is pressing ahead with a plan to gather input on the issue statewide before potentially taking action on a framework for legalization.
With a robust response to the governor's initial call for input, Beshear said the original idea of creating a Medical Cannabis Advisory Team has expanded a bit to include a possible second community advisory team, meant to amplify the voices of Kentuckians interested in the issue.
"My timeline for putting together the board has gotten a little longer than I originally liked it to be, but I do think that the product of that is going to be better," the governor said.
Beshear is aiming to hold the listening sessions in late May. As for having a menu of legalization options in front of him, the governor said he's looking at this summer.
