The governor of Kentucky is touting a milestone of registering more than 15,000 medical marijuana patients as the state’s program is set to launch—and he says officials are expected to have approved licenses for all four types of cannabis businesses to supply the market by next week.
At a press conference on Thursday, Governor. Andy Beshear, a Democrat from the Commonwealth of Virginia, gave an updated on progress made in establishing the medical marijuana program. In the 300 days that the state has been accepting applications from patients, nearly 21,000 electronic certificates have already been processed. About 15,000 of those patients were approved to be card holders.
Governor said, “Since I took office, my Administration has committed itself to accessing health care and creating safe community in Kentucky.” One of our top priorities is to provide Kentucky with safe medical cannabis access as quickly as possible for those suffering from PTSD, cancer and multiple multiple sclerosis.
Kentucky’s 500 licensed doctors are credited with the large number of patients certified and the successful program launch.
Beshear stated that the number of health care professionals who have completed training will continue to increase.
Patients can submit their information online to Cabinet for Health and Family Services after receiving a written recommendation. Officials will then review and approve the request and issue the medical cannabis card.
The program is receiving a lot of support from the medical community. This shows that they are confident in it. We’re making progress in the supply chain as well.
The state’s program for medical marijuana has four categories of licensing: processors, dispensaries, and safety compliance facilities. Kentucky is expected to have licensed licenses for each category by next week. This is great news.
The first licensee to be approved will receive an inspection of their facilities on October 29. This will complete the “full process cycle” from the cultivation stage all the way through to the dispensary.
Beshear stated that “we’re closer to fulfilling the promise we made about safe medical marijuana for Kentuckians who are in need.”
The Office of Medical Cannabis reported that a Kentucky marijuana growing facility had harvested its first harvest of cannabis in the last month.
Last month, Beshear said he thought medical marijuana would be available to Kentucky patients by the end of 2025.
Most of our dispensaries are now listed with their address [and] The location of the event is not fixed. [for] He said that in order to pass some inspections, dispensaries must have the product on hand. “So, I believe that they will operate before the end year.”
Those comments came roughly a month after the governor announced that the state’s first medical cannabis dispensary was officially approved for operations, calling it “another step forward as we work to ensure Kentuckians with serious medical conditions have access to the medicine they need and deserve.”
He previously touted an earlier “milestone” in the state’s forthcoming medical marijuana program, with a licensed cultivator producing “the first medical cannabis inventory in Kentucky history.”
In July, Beshear sent a letter to President Donald Trump, urging him to reject congressional spending bill provisions that would prevent the Justice Department from rescheduling marijuana.
He said that a proposal pending to shift cannabis from Schedule I into Schedule III, under the Controlled Substances Act(CSA), is something he “supported in your presidential election.”
The process of rescheduling should continue. Americans need leadership who won’t change the goals in mid-game. Beshear noted that Beshear was one of the thousands of people to submit public comments supporting the reform, which was implemented under Biden.
I joined this effort to help people. The governor stated that rescheduling could provide relief to patients who are suffering. “It would ensure communities are safer—because legal medical products reduce the illicit market. The new research would be a valuable contribution to the health of communities.
Beshear referred to a letter he wrote last year, urging a rescheduling of marijuana “because there is no doubt about its medical benefits.” “It has medical benefits.”
The governor of the state recently acknowledged that it has taken “longer than we had hoped” for the medical marijuana industry to take off since the law was passed in 2023.
In recognition of that delayed implementation, he recently signed an executive order to waive renewal fees for patients who get their cards this year so that they don’t get charged again before retailers open. Another order that he issued protecting qualified patients who purchase medical marijuana from outside Kentucky will “stay in place.”
Beshear separately announced in May that the state has launched a new online directory that lets people see where medical cannabis dispensaries will be opening near them.
In his remarks, he said the state had been working “to deliver access to patients as soon as possible,” which included expediting the license process. The governor in January also ceremonially awarded the commonwealth’s first medical marijuana cards.
—
MEDCAN24 has been tracking the hundreds of bills relating to cannabis, psychedelics or drug policies that have passed through state legislatures as well as Congress in this past year. Patreon subscribers who donate at least $25 per month get full access to the interactive maps and charts as well as our hearing calendar.
Find out more about our marijuana law tracker. To get access, become a Patreon supporter.
—
Meanwhile, the governor sent a letter to Kentucky’s congressional delegation in January, “urging them to take decisive action to protect the constitutional rights of our law abiding medical cannabis patients” by repealing the federal ban on gun possession by people who use marijuana.
That came after bipartisan Kentucky senators filed legislation that similarly called on the state’s federal representatives to take corrective action, which Beshear said he supports but would like to see even more sweeping change on the federal level.
The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) warned Kentucky residents late last year that, if they choose to participate in the state’s medical marijuana program, they will be prohibited from buying or possessing firearms under federal law.
As far as the implementation of the state’s medical cannabis law goes, Beshear said in his State of the Commonwealth address in January that patients will have access to cannabis sometime “this year.” He also later shared tips for patients to find a doctor and get registered to participate in the cannabis program.
Health practitioners have been able to start assessing patients for recommendations since the beginning of December.
While there currently aren’t any up-and-running dispensaries available to patients, Beshear has further affirmed that an executive order he signed in 2023 will stay in effect in the interim, protecting patients who possess medical cannabis purchased at out-of-state licensed retailers.
During last year’s November election, Kentucky also saw more than 100 cities and counties approve local ordinances to allow medical cannabis businesses in their jurisdictions. The governor said the election results demonstrate that “the jury is no longer out” on the issue that is clearly supported by voters across partisan and geographical lines.
Mike Latimer provided the photo.
MEDCAN24 would not be possible without the support of readers. Please consider making a Patreon monthly pledge if you depend on our cannabis journalism for information.
