Kentuckians will soon know where they can go to purchase medical cannabis beginning in 2025 and how to go about applying for a medical cannabis card.
Gov. Andy Beshear announced this week that a lottery for medical cannabis dispensary licenses will be held at 2 p.m. ET Monday, Nov. 25 for nine of the 11 medical cannabis dispensary licensing regions. The lottery will be conducted by the Kentucky Lottery Corp. in Louisville.
A drawing for the remaining two dispensary regions will be held Monday, Dec. 16.
Licenses have already been issued for other medical cannabis businesses, including cultivators, processors and safety compliance facilities.
Over the past several months, local governments in Kentucky have discussed whether to allow medical cannabis businesses to operate in their community. Some have passed ordinances to regulate the businesses, some have voted to prohibit their operation and others opted to put the issue before voters in the 2024 general election.
The question of whether to allow medical cannabis businesses was on the ballot in 53 counties and 53 cities, and all 106 ballot referendums passed.
The sale of medical cannabis to authorized card holders becomes legal in Kentucky on Jan. 1, 2025.
The state is launching the Kentucky Medical Cannabis Practitioner Directory to help residents find doctors and nurses who are authorized to provide written certifications to Kentucky patients. According to Gov. Beshear, 154 doctors and Advanced Practice Registered Nurses have become authorized medical cannabis practitioners, a number that continues to grow. The directory will be available beginning Dec. 1 at kymedcan.ky.gov.
“When we launched this program, our mission was to ensure Kentuckians suffering from cancer, multiple sclerosis and other serious conditions have safe, affordable access to medical cannabis,” Gov. Beshear said.
Medical cannabis practitioners can begin issuing valid written certifications to Kentucky patients beginning Dec. 1. To receive a written certification, patients will need to find an authorized practitioner, set up an initial appointment, receive a diagnosis or confirmation of a qualifying condition, and retrieve the written certification when applying for a medical cannabis card. All valid certifications must be entered by the authorized practitioner through the Office of Medical Cannabis’ online portal.
