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LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Medical marijuana became legal Jan. 1 in Kentucky. The first batch of patients should soon receive their medical cards, and the list of dispensaries statewide has been decided.
What remains unclear, however, is when dispensaries will have product to sell.
“I mean, the main part of the work for us, since the lottery has basically just been directing people who would be patients under the program into how to reach a practitioner … there’s not really a whole lot for us to do at this point,” said Jay Armstrong, assistant general manager of Bluegrass Cannacare.
Armstrong and his business partners were among those randomly selected to receive a dispensary license. He said work continues to happen on finalizing plans for their future northern Kentucky location, but beyond that, it’s a waiting game.
Medical marijuana still needs to be grown, processed and distributed. Armstrong said he estimates he won’t be able to start selling products until August.
“The fastest that I’ve heard anybody being able to get from germinated seed or tissue culture or clone to a finished product is about six months counting the cure and dry at time,” Armstrong said. “So that’s why I say eight months.”
Gov. Andy Beshear, D-Ky., provided an update on the state’s medical marijuana program Jan. 30 during his weekly Team Kentucky briefing. Beshear reported more than 2,200 medical cards have been approved so far. He also issued the first two medical cards to future patients.
Gov. Andy Beshear, D-Ky., opens his Team Kentucky briefing Jan. 30, 2025, with remarks on the deadly passenger plane crash outside Washington, D.C. the previous night. An American Airlines jet traveling from Kansas collided with an Army helicopter. (Spectrum News 1/Mason Brighton)
“Since Dec. 1, 2024, 6,500 Kentuckians have seen a practitioner and received a certification,” he said.
Beshear spoke to the timeline of when more information about product availability could be released.
“I think we are seeing now that the licensing is done, a whole lot of movement in that direction and my hope is in the coming month or two, we’re going to have a much better idea of when we will see that product first on the shelves,” Beshear said.
Beshear added he hopes product will be ready to sell before Armstrong’s August estimate.
“}]] Medical cannabis became legal Jan. 1 in Kentucky. Read More
