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Kentucky to open registration for medical marijuana businesses in the state
FRANKFORT, Ky. — Businesses looking to sell, process or grow medical marijuana in Kentucky can begin applying for licenses starting Monday, part of an accelerated effort to have products available by early 2025, Gov. Andy Beshear said Thursday.
Advanced practice physicians and registered nurses can also begin submitting applications to certify eligible patients to purchase the drug. The state’s Medical Licensing Board and Board of Nursing will oversee the process.
The Bluegrass State’s medical cannabis program begins January 1. Kentucky’s Republican-dominated Legislature passed the law with bipartisan support in 2023, legalize medical cannabis for people suffering from a list of debilitating diseases. Beshear, a Democrat, quickly signed the measure into law and his administration has been working on regulating the program ever since.
The governor signed follow-up legislation last spring, extending the timeframe for licensing cannabis businesses by six months.
The state has already streamed a series of webinars on YouTube, issued a business license application guide and other materials to assist applicants. Businesses can apply for licenses through the end of August. The goal is to have some medical cannabis available by January, when the products become legal, Beshear said.
Patients can apply for medical cannabis cards starting Jan. 1 if they have qualifying conditions including cancer, multiple sclerosis, chronic pain, epilepsy, chronic nausea or post-traumatic stress disorder.
The state is committed to ensuring Kentuckians with qualifying medical conditions have “safe and affordable access to medical cannabis,” state Secretary of Health and Family Services Eric Friedlander said Thursday.
In April, Beshear said the state use a lottery system to grant its first round of commercial licenses.
“The program is focused on ensuring that licensing of cannabis businesses is fair, transparent and focused on customer service,” said Sam Flynn, executive director of the Kentucky Office of Medical Cannabis.
The state will initially issue 48 dispensary licenses divided among 11 counties. Each counties will receive at least four, with most counties limited to one each. The counties that are home to Louisville and Lexington are exceptions and will each get two licenses, the Beshear administration said. The first license lottery will be held in October.
A limited number of licenses to cultivate and process cannabis will also be issued.
The license limits are intended to avoid flooding the market, which would hurt both businesses and patients, the governor said. The program could be expanded depending on demand and if more qualifying medical conditions are added.
“You can always scale up,” Beshear said in April. “Scaling down hurts companies, hurts people and hurts access.”