Kentucky is on the cusp of implementing its medical cannabis program with an official start date of January 1, 2025, but dispensaries won’t open quite that quickly. The program extends a series of executive orders signed by Governer Andy Beshear that makes cannabis legal for patients suffering from certain qualifying medical conditions—such as cancer, multiple sclerosis, chronic pain, epilepsy, chronic nausea, and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Legislative Milestones and Implementation Timeline

Another advancement in policy occurred on March 31, 2023, when Gov Beshear signed Senate Bill 47 (SB 47) into law, officially legalizing medical cannabis in Kentucky. The bill set January 1, 2025, as the effective date for the program, allowing time to establish a comprehensive regulatory framework–but don’t expect that to be the day that patients can access products in dispensaries. A lot went into moving up the timeframe, but Kentucky patients won’t be able to walk into state stores likely until at least Spring 2025.

To expedite the program’s rollout, the Kentucky Cabinet for Health & Family Services initiated the licensing process ahead of schedule. The application window for medical cannabis business licenses opened on July 1, 2024, and closed on August 31, 2024. This early start was facilitated by House Bill 829, which accelerated the licensing timeline by six months.

Selection Process for Cultivators and Processors

In October 2024, the state conducted a lottery to select 26 applicants for cultivation and processor licenses. A controversial approach across many states, the lottery aimed to ensure a fair and transparent allocation of licenses. Nearly 5,000 applications received. The selected applicants were required to pay their license fees within 15 days to formalize their participation in the program.

Dispensary Licensing and Opening Dates

The state held publicly-filmed lotteries for dispensary licenses on November 27 and December 16, 2024. These lotteries determined the entities that will be authorized to operate medical cannabis dispensaries across various regions in Kentucky. Advocates criticize the lottery process primarily because it can leave out small Kentucky-grown businesses in favor of large multi-state operators that have learned how to manipulate the system to submit extra entries.

Once licensed, dispensaries are expected to commence operations in late Spring to summer, once enough cannabis flower and products have been produced and stocked on shelves.

Ensuring Patient Access and Safety

Authorized medical cannabis practitioners began issuing valid written certifications to Kentucky patients on Dec. 1. To facilitate patient access, an online directory of authorized medical practitioners is available at kymedcan.ky.gov. As of now, 154 doctors and advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) are authorized to recommend medical cannabis, with more expected to join. Patients seeking medical cannabis must obtain written certification from these authorized practitioners to apply for a medical cannabis card.

Get Your Medical Card

Prospective patients will need to visit a pracitioner in-person for the initial visit. MedicateKY is partnering with several providers to help Kentuckians get their medical cards across the state. Email us to be matched with a trusted provider in your area.

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This week Kentucky drew to randomly select and distribute business licenses for the state’s first cannabis cultivators and processors. Run by the Kentucky Lottery Corporation, the drawing was a major step in creating a regulated supply chain for medical cannabis within the state. 

Nearly 5,000 applications were submitted by hopeful businesses to be a part of the state’s inaugural medical cannabis program. Of those applicants, 918 of those were cultivators and processors who will be growing the plants and transforming them into products like edibles, tinctures and topicals. The 26 winners are listed here. 

Another lottery to be held in coming days will award the coveted first 48 dispensary licenses across the state. Comparatively, Ohio has about 125 licensed dispensaries and Michigan has over 800. Officials addressed the small number of licenses, saying that the state desires to grow the program according to demand. 

Governor Andy Beshear supported the program’s accelerated timeline, enabling the licensing process to begin in July 2024 rather than January 2025, thanks to House Bill 829. This decision was aimed at expediting medical cannabis access for patients in Kentucky. Under current regulations, patients can access limited legal protections through the Governor’s 2022 executive order, allowing those with qualifying conditions to legally possess cannabis if obtained in another state. This temporary measure supports patients until the program is fully operational​.

The infrastructure, including the state’s first licensed compliance lab on Sept 27th, is being established to maintain high safety standards for medical cannabis products. 

Who Will Qualify to Be a Kentucky Patient?

Kentucky’s medical cannabis program will serve patients with various conditions, including chronic pain, PTSD, cancer, epilepsy, and multiple sclerosis. Next month on December 1st, licensed providers may begin issuing medical cards for patients to legally purchase cannabis from licensed dispensaries, which will open in early 2025. 

Each patient will be permitted to possess a 30-day supply of of medical cannabis. More details about the patient program can be found at Kentucky Medical Cannabis Program’s Qualified Patient & Designated Caregiver Guide. 

One point of interest to anyone who visits family in Kentucky is that the program will give access to out-of-state medical patients with what it calls “visiting qualified patient” status. The industry more commonly refers to this as “reciprocity”, meaning that people who have medical cannabis privileges to access dispensaries in the state where they live will have similar privileges to access cannabis at Kentucky dispensaries. 

Some Kentucky licensed medical cannabis practitioners have begun pre-registering those interested in the program to help them speed up their scheduling process. Beware of scams that may offer a medical card now, as cards won’t be available until December 1st. A full list of practitioners is not available yet since they still have time to register. (Practitioners may register here.) 

Please connect with MedicateKY with any questions about the legitimacy of a medical cannabis practitioner and we will connect you with one of our trusted partners. 

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As states like Ohio begin to adjust to their new adult-use rules and influx of new customers, many cannabis companies are looking South. 

Kentucky’s medical cannabis program is rapidly advancing as the state prepares for the full rollout at the beginning of 2025. 4,998 applications applications have been received by businesses seeking licenses to operate in the state’s medical cannabis industry. Governer Andy Beshear, an outspoken supporter of cannabis reform in the Bluegrass state, in 2022 issued an executive order to protect citizens that use medicinal cannabis brought into Kentucky from other states like Ohio, Illinois and Michigan. He then signed legislation in March 2023 to make Kentucky the 38th state to legalize medical cannabis and start a state-run program. 

Most Applicants Filed In Days Just Before August 31st Deadline

Most of the applications the Kentucky office of Medical Cannabis received were submitted in the final days before the August 31 deadline, underscoring both the high level of interest in the program and the uncertainty of municipality moratoriums across the state. 

This overwhelming response included applications for dispensaries, cultivators, processors, and testing labs, but most were dispensary applications. ​Said Beshear: “The vast majority of these are for dispensaries, and the vast majority of those applications came in really in the last 24, if not 48 hours, before the deadline. This is significantly more than any initial projection.”

Drawing for Cultivators/Processors on October 28th

Kentucky’s medical cannabis program applicants will vie for just 74 available licenses that will be awarded through lottery drawings beginning this month. The drawing for cultivators and processors for the Kentucky Medical Cannabis program will be on October 28th. 

The program will prioritize patients with qualifying conditions, such as chronic or debilitating pain, cancer, PTSD, and multiple sclerosis. Also, patients can qualify with any other medical condition or disease that the Kentucky Center for Cannabis determines is therapeutic. 

Cardholder Requirements for Patients

Those applying for a medical cannabis card must be a resident of Kentucky and either at least 18 years of age or have an assigned caregiver. Cardholders must obtain a written certification from a medical practitioner indicating they have been diagnosed with a qualifying condition and would benefit from the treatment of medical cannabis. One unusual qualification is that cardholders must not have been convicted of a felony offense. Kentuckians may not grow cannabis at home and may not operate a vehicle under the influence of cannabis. 

To get the latest about Kentucky’s medical cannabis program, visit us at MedicateKY.com. Fill in your email here to receive our MedicateOH/MedicateKY newsletter in your inbox each Monday. 

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Details

We welcome all interested parties to join us for an informal and friendly gathering! Grab a drink or some pizza on the patio at Bircus Brewing in Ludlow, Ky for our first official MedicateKY Meetup! We invite all Kentucky cannabis industry investors and prospects, patients, caregivers and advocates to network and learn from one another about the upcoming lottery, the moratoriums, and what’s beyond for the MMJ program in the Bluegrass state. Questions? Email our founder, Gabrielle Dion at medicateKY@gmail.com

Join us: https://www.meetup.com/ky-mmj-investors-advocates-patients-caregivers-group/events/301985355/