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."
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.
