CINCINNATI (WKRC) – Kentucky conducted its lottery for medical marijuana dispensaries on Monday.
Four dispensaries were randomly selected in each region of the state, including Northern Kentucky. After nearly 5,000 Kentuckians applied to dispense medical marijuana, 36 of the 48 licenses were drawn in a lottery. Northern Kentucky applicants made up about 12% of all applications.
“This is another major step for ensuring that Kentuckians suffering from cancer, PTSD, and other serious conditions have access to safe, affordable medical cannabis,” said Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear.
The Northern Kentucky lottery winners include:
Yellow Flowers in Kenton CountyGreen Grass Cannabis in Kenton CountyBluegrass Canna Care in Boone CountyNicole Torella in Campbell County
The executive director of Kentucky’s Office of Medical Cannabis, Sam Flynn, said that they used a lottery for the dispensary selection to ensure an easy licensing process.
“We were able to determine the regions so that folks would have the shortest possible drive time. At the end of the day, our office is focused on access and ensuring that there’s access points throughout the commonwealth,” Flynn said.
People with conditions like cancer or epilepsy who are certified by a doctor to use the drug can apply for a medical marijuana card come January 1. While there will only be 48 dispensaries in the state, Beshear said that there is room for growth in the future.
“We promised to do this safely, and we promised to do it in a smart way. We can always expand dispensaries, but what we saw with hemp and all the licenses that went out is that it crashed the market, having too many individuals that were out there licensed in the very beginning,” Beshear said.
The state already chose its local growers and processors through a lottery. The website for Kentucky’s Medical Cannabis Program is also expected to have a registry of all dispensary locations sometime early in 2025. This process will be repeated in a few weeks for the two remaining regions in the state, including Fayette and Jefferson counties. Those licenses will be randomly drawn on December 16.
Four dispensaries were randomly selected in each region of the state, including Northern Kentucky. Read More
