FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Businesses that want to sell, process or grow medical marijuana in Kentucky can start applying for permits starting Monday as part of an accelerated effort to make the products available for sale in early 2025, Gov. Andy Beshear announced Thursday.
Physicians and advanced practice nurses can also begin submitting applications to be allowed to purchase the drugs for eligible patients. State medical licensing boards and nursing boards will oversee the process.
The Bluegrass State's medical marijuana program will begin on Jan. 1. The Republican-majority Kentucky Legislature passed a bill with bipartisan support in 2023 legalizing medical marijuana for people suffering from a range of debilitating illnesses. Democratic Gov. Beshear quickly signed the bill, and his administration has been working to regulate the program since then.
The governor signed an additional bill this spring that accelerated the deadline for licensing cannabis businesses by six months.
The state has already aired a YouTube webinar series and published a business license application guide and other materials to assist applicants. Businesses have until the end of August to apply for licenses. Governor Beshear said the goal is to have some availability of medical marijuana when the product becomes legal in January.
Patients will be able to apply for a medical marijuana card starting Jan. 1 if they have a qualifying condition, such as 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 marijuana,” state Health and Family Services Secretary Eric Friedlander said Thursday.
Governor Beshear said in April that the state would use a lottery system to award its first business licenses.
“This program is focused on ensuring that cannabis business licensing is fair, transparent and customer service-focused,” said Sam Flynn, executive director of the Kentucky Bureau of Medical Marijuana.
The state will initially issue 48 dispensary licenses divided among 11 regions. Each region will be issued at least four licenses, with most counties limited to one. The exceptions are the counties that contain Louisville and Lexington, which will each be given two licenses, the Beshear administration said. The first license lottery is scheduled to take place in October.
A limited number of licenses will also be issued for cannabis cultivation and processing.
The governor has said the license cap is intended to avoid market saturation, which would hurt both companies and patients. The program could be expanded depending on demand and whether more covered conditions are added.
“We can always scale up,” Beshear said in April. “If we scale back, it hurts businesses, it hurts people, it hurts access.”
