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LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — After receiving nearly 5,000 applications, Kentucky has issued its first medical cannabis business license.
Kentucky’s Medical Cannabis Program is still working through the 4,998 applications it received, which was more than what was anticipated, but issued its first license to KCA Labs in Nicholasville.
Kentucky Medical Marijuana Coverage:
KCA Labs is a hemp-testing lab, which uses its facilities to test every medical cannabis product before it gets to medical marijuana cardholders in Kentucky, according to Gov. Andy Beshear’s Office.
“KCA’s vast knowledge and experience with testing hemp products will translate neatly into Kentucky’s new medical cannabis program,” KCA Labs CEO Jonathan Thompson said in a news release Thursday. “We look forward to helping ensure the program provides the highest-quality products to Kentucky’s cardholders.”
The state will issue 48 dispensary licenses across the state to businesses wanting to sell, process or grow medical marijuana for patients using a lottery system.
But there’s no limit on the number of initial licenses being awarded to safety compliance facilities — the category that KCA Labs comes under — meaning there’s no need for a lottery.
These facilities will test every medical cannabis product before reaching eligible patients, guaranteeing the products are held to the highest medical standards, Beshear said Thursday.
“Our mission is to ensure Kentuckians with serious medical conditions have safe access to high quality, tested medical cannabis products,” Beshear said in Thursday’s news release. “Today, we took two more big steps toward that goal.”
The lottery to award licenses to cultivators and processors will be on Oct. 28, the governor said. The lottery for dispensary licenses will be announced later but will likely be in November, Beshear said. Those businesses can start selling medical marijuana in Kentucky starting in January.
Four license types will be available:
Cultivator: responsible for planting, raising, harvesting, trimming and curing raw plant materialProcessor: responsible for processing and packaging raw plant material into usable product formats Safety compliance facility: responsible for contamination and purity testing of raw plant material and productsDispensary: responsible for purchasing and selling finished products to cardholders
Only two dispensaries will be approved in Jefferson County to start.
State law restricts dispensaries from operating within 1,000 feet of schools or daycares.
Applications for medical marijuana cards will open Jan. 1, 2025.
In order to be eligible, people must have a qualifying medical diagnosis
Any type or form of cancer;Chronic or severe pain;Epilepsy or other intractable seizure disorder; Multiple sclerosis, muscle spasms, or spasticity;Chronic nausea or cyclical vomiting syndrome; orPost-traumatic stress disorder
Kentucky residents also must have no disqualifying felony offenses.
For more information on medical marijuana in Kentucky, click here. For more information on marijuana use in Kentucky for patients and caregivers, click here.
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Copyright 2024 WDRB Media. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press also contributed to this report.
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