Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear endorses federal effort to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — The Biden administration's push to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug won an endorsement Wednesday from Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, who said “the jury is no longer out” on its medical uses as an alternative to opioids that ravaged the Bluegrass State with overdose deaths.

The Democratic governor called the proposal a “significant, common-sense step forward,” especially for people with serious medical conditions. Beshear laid out his support in a letter to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.

“The jury is no longer out on marijuana: it has medical uses and is currently being used for medical purposes,” Beshear wrote. “This recognition is overwhelming — and bipartisan."

Two months ago, in a historic shift in American drug policy, the Justice Department formally moved to reclassify marijuana. If approved, the rule would move marijuana away from its current classification as a Schedule I drug, alongside heroin and LSD. It instead would be a Schedule III substance, alongside such drugs as ketamine and some anabolic steroids. The plan would not legalize marijuana outright for recreational use.

Beshear's letter focused on marijuana's medical uses, with Kentucky's medical cannabis program set to begin Jan. 1. Kentucky lawmakers passed the law in 2023, legalizing medical cannabis for people suffering from a list of debilitating illnesses. Beshear signed the measure and his administration has since crafted program regulations.

The proposed federal rule recognizes medical uses of cannabis and acknowledges it has less potential for abuse than some of the nation’s most dangerous drugs. The move comes after a recommendation from the federal Health and Human Services Department, which launched a review of the drug’s status at the urging of President Joe Biden.

In his letter, Beshear said the rescheduling would have a broad impact. For patients, he said, it would destigmatize medical marijuana, confirm medical freedom and provide an alternative to opioids.

“For communities, rescheduling means legal medical cannabis programs continue to provide a secure alternative to illicit and unregulated markets, further reducing crime and abuse,” he wrote.

From 2012 to 2016, more than 5,800 Kentuckians died from opioid abuse, he said.