KRS 218A.1422

Possession of marijuana -- Penalty -- Maximum term of incarceration

Known as the Kentucky Controlled Substances Act

The act spans §§ 218A.005 to 218A.994 (124 sections).

Applied in 25 court decisions — leading case Cockrel v. Shelby County School District (2001)

Most recently applied in Karim Codrington v. Jay Dolak (July 2025)

Effective: July 1, 2024 History: Amended 2023 Ky

How often courts cite this section

citing decisions per year

Court decisions citing this, by year. The dip in the last several years is a data-coverage gap, not a real trend — our corpus holds fewer opinions from the most recent years, so recent citations are undercounted.

(1) A person is guilty of possession of marijuana when he or she knowingly and unlawfully possesses marijuana, and the possession is not in compliance with, or otherwise authorized by, KRS Chapter 218B.

(2) Possession of marijuana is a Class B misdemeanor, except that, KRS Chapter 532 to the contrary notwithstanding, the maximum term of incarceration shall be no greater than forty-five (45) days.

(3) This section does not apply to:

(a) A cannabis business or a cannabis business agent, as defined in KRS 218B.010, when acting in compliance with KRS Chapter 218B; or (b) A cardholder, as defined in KRS 218B.010, whose use of medicinal cannabis is in compliance with KRS Chapter 218B.

Official source: Kentucky General Assembly. Reproduced from public-domain Kentucky statutes; confirm against the official source for the current text. Not legal advice.