There have been many failed attempts to decriminalize and legalize cannabis in Kentucky. In April 2014, Governor Steve Beshear signed a law permitting patients to use CBD products with a physician's recommendation under clinical trials at the University of Kentucky in the treatment of epilepsy, but the law did not include any provisions to legally produce or sell CBD. There have been many failed attempts to legalize medical cannabis since 2014, including House Bill 136 that passed in the House in 2020 but died without a Senate committee hearing or vote.

In its previous legislative session in February of 2020, the Kentucky House voted 65-30 on a medical cannabis bill, House Bill 136. Unfortunately, with the COVID-19 pandemic reaching the U.S. within the same year, the Senate adjourned early in April 2020 without voting on the bill. With a 90% rate of support from Kentuckians for the medical bill, a failed advancement of HB 136 was extremely disappointing. H.B. 136 passed the House with a 59-34 vote, and was referred to the Committee on Health & Welfare in March of 2022, but failed to gain traction within the Senate.

Kentucky medical cannabis was finally legalized in 2023 through a bill that allows for patients with qualifying conditions, including cancer, chronic pain, epilepsy, and PTSD, to use medical marijuana. Although the bill does not permit the inhalation of cannabis flower, it does allow for the sale of unprocessed cannabis flower for vaporization, as well as capsules, tinctures, and topical products. Kentucky’s medical cannabis program is set to launch by January 2025.