Kentucky’s emerging medical cannabis program is on track to grow rapidly, although ensuring product availability for patients at launch may pose challenges, according to Governor Andy Beshear.
On Monday, the administration moved forward significantly with a state-run lottery that selected 26 candidates for cultivation and processing licenses. These businesses will receive their medical cannabis licenses once they pay the associated fees within the specified 15-day period. The official start of the medical cannabis program is set for January 1.
To qualify for medical marijuana, patients must have a recognized medical condition and secure written approval from a licensed medical practitioner. Eligible medical conditions range from cancer and multiple sclerosis to chronic pain, epilepsy, severe nausea, and post-traumatic stress disorder.
During the lottery drawing held at the Kentucky Lottery Corporation in Louisville, Beshear expressed optimism for those Kentuckians seeking relief. “I want to tell those Kentuckians that have really needed this relief that help is on the way,” he stated.
This week is expected to reveal the date for a dispensary license lottery, with plans for several dozen dispensaries to be divided by geographic regions. Earlier this year, state lawmakers agreed to expedite the cannabis licensing process by six months.
As a prominent advocate for the legalization of medical cannabis, Beshear emphasized that his administration has worked diligently to launch the program. He anticipates a substantial increase in the system’s complexity by early next year.
“However, I do think it will be a challenge for all dispensaries to have products available from day one,” noted the Democratic governor.
In response, Beshear will maintain his executive order allowing Kentuckians with certain medical conditions to possess cannabis purchased legally from other states. He plans to revoke this order once the new system is fully operational, an order he signed nearly two years prior.
Last year, with a Republican-led legislature backing, Kentucky legalized medical marijuana with an effective date of January 2025, providing state health officials the necessary time to formulate relevant regulations.
Every aspect of the medical cannabis supply chain—growing, processing, testing, and dispensing—will take place within Kentucky through licensed businesses, ensuring economic gains for local residents.
“Every winner of today’s drawing represents a Kentucky business that will employ local residents and advance our economy and healthcare,” Beshear stated on Monday.
A testing laboratory in Nicholasville was the first to receive a business license last month, and since then, two additional testing labs have gained licenses.
The application period for medical cannabis business licenses spanned from July 1 to August 31, attracting nearly 5,000 submissions, including 918 from cultivators and processors.
The selected processors will serve customers from across the state, from Kentucky’s southwest to the northeast. Large-scale cultivators received licenses in south-central Kentucky, while smaller operations were granted licenses in different regions. Cultivators’ cannabis will be grown in securely locked environments, while processors will create consumer-ready products.
Most states have legalized medical marijuana, and the creators of Kentucky’s program aim to build a stable and sustainable industry that meets patient demand effectively, according to Sam Flynn, executive director of the state Office of Medical Cannabis.
Beshear reiterated the administration’s commitment to getting the program right from the outset. “Our goal has always been to start at a viable scale to avoid the pitfalls seen elsewhere and build a system that is appropriately sized to meet initial demand,” he explained.
In various counties and cities throughout Kentucky, voters will soon decide whether to permit cannabis business operations in their areas during the general election in November. Beshear emphasized the importance of respecting personal freedom as citizens consider their options.
“If someone chooses to pursue this route, and a medical professional confirms its potential benefits, it makes sense to provide access through regulated entities. This ensures safety while keeping jobs and revenue within Kentucky,” he concluded.