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Kentucky is making significant progress toward introducing medical cannabis as an option for healthcare in the state. Recently, 26 businesses were chosen to cultivate and process medical cannabis, which will soon be available for sale across Kentucky. The businesses earned their licenses through a random lottery held at the Kentucky Lottery office in Louisville.
Governor Andy Beshear expressed enthusiasm about the milestone, highlighting that all medical marijuana activities—from cultivation and processing to testing and dispensing—will occur within Kentucky. Further, he stated that the lottery was a step closer to providing safe and affordable access to medical marijuana for Kentuckians dealing with severe health conditions.
In his remarks, Beshear shared that the start date for patient access could be as soon as January 1 or shortly thereafter, as dispensaries and other necessary facilities begin operations. “A new day is approaching in Kentucky,” he noted, with safe, regulated medical cannabis soon available to support qualifying patients in managing their health conditions.
The Office of Medical Cannabis (OMC) executive director, Sam Flynn, shared that the state received 4,998 applications for business licenses related to medical cannabis, with 918 applicants aiming for processing and cultivation roles. Approximately 84% of these applications were approved for participation in the lottery.
Flynn further explained that the lottery approach was based on examining best practices in other states with established medical marijuana programs. “We prioritized creating a transparent and fair process from the start,” he added.
The lottery winners have fifteen days to pay their processing or cultivation license fees or risk losing the license. Once fees are paid, the OMC will officially grant the licenses, allowing businesses to start operations.
Under the program, cultivators will be required to grow cannabis in secure, locked facilities. They will then sell the harvested cannabis to processors, who will develop various medical cannabis products from the raw material.
A date for a separate lottery to award 48 dispensary licenses is expected to be announced on Thursday.
In September, the state took an initial step by awarding its first marijuana business license to a testing laboratory in Nicholasville. The facility is expected to examine products for safety and quality before they reach patients.
Eligible conditions include any form or stage of cancer; severe, chronic, or incapacitating pain; epilepsy or other chronic seizure disorders; post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD); multiple sclerosis or associated muscle spasms; and chronic nausea or vomiting that resists conventional treatments.
The entire cannabis industry, including firms like Cresco Labs Inc. (CSE: CL) (OTCQX: CRLBF), will be hoping that the roll out of the medical marijuana program in Kentucky goes without a hitch and gives patients who need those products a chance to access them legally.
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