Gov. Beshear Announces First Selectees To Receive Medical Cannabis Dispensary Licenses
A second round of selectees will be drawn Dec. 16
FRANKFORT, Ky. (Nov. 25, 2024) – Today, Gov. Andy Beshear announced the results of the commonwealth’s first of two license lotteries for medical cannabis dispensaries. During the event, held at the Kentucky Lottery Corporation in Louisville, 36 applicants were selected to receive medical cannabis dispensary licenses through a random number generator.
“Team Kentucky has worked hard to ensure that all medical cannabis business applicants have an equal and fair chance to become a part of this emerging industry,” said Gov. Beshear. “Today’s dispensary announcement moves us one step closer to ensuring Kentuckians with serious medical conditions have access to the safe, affordable medicine they need.”
Four selectees from each of the following dispensary regions were pulled at the drawing:
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Region 3: Northeast: comprising Bath, Boyd, Carter, Elliott, Fleming, Greenup, Lewis, Mason, Menifee, Montgomery, Morgan, Nicholas, Robertson and Rowan counties.
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Region 4: South Central: comprising Allen, Barren, Butler, Edmonson, Logan, Metcalfe, Monroe, Simpson and Warren counties.
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Region 5: Cumberland: comprising Bell, Casey, Clinton, Cumberland, Harlan, Knox, Laurel, Lincoln, McCreary, Pulaski, Rockcastle, Russell, Wayne and Whitley counties.
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Region 6: Mountain: comprising Breathitt, Clay, Estill, Floyd, Jackson, Johnson, Knott, Lawrence, Lee, Leslie, Letcher, Magoffin, Martin, Owsley, Perry, Pike, Powell and Wolfe counties.
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Region 7: Pennyrile: comprising Caldwell, Christian, Hopkins, Lyon, Muhlenberg, Todd and Trigg counties.
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Region 8: West Kentucky: comprising Ballard, Calloway, Carlisle, Crittenden, Fulton, Graves, Hickman, Livingston, McCracken and Marshall counties.
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Region 9: Lincoln Trail: comprising Adair, Breckinridge, Grayson, Green, Hardin, Hart, LaRue, Marion, Meade, Nelson, Taylor and Washington counties.
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Region 10: Northen Kentucky: comprising Boone, Bracken, Campbell, Carroll, Gallatin, Grant, Kenton, Owen and Pendleton counties.
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Region 11: Green River: comprising Daviess, Hancock, Henderson, McLean, Ohio, Union and Webster counties.
Click here for the complete list of businesses that were randomly selected in the first license lottery for dispensaries.
“The Kentucky Office of Medical Cannabis received 4,998 applications, of which 4,075 were dispensary applicants,” said Sam Flynn, executive director of the Kentucky Office of Medical Cannabis. “Those applicants selected in today’s license lottery will have 15 days to pay their license fees. Once the fee has been paid, the office will issue a license to that business.”
Flynn added that a second license lottery for dispensaries will occur Dec. 16, and the regions that will be pulled on that date are Region 1: Bluegrass, Region 1: Fayette County only, Region 2: Kentuckiana and Region 2: Jefferson County only. To learn more about the licensing structure and application process, visit kymedcan.ky.gov.
“The Kentucky Lottery is honored to be asked to conduct the required drawings, and we thank the Governor for allowing us to be a part of this impactful initiative,” said Kentucky Lottery President and CEO Mary Harville. “Over the 35 years of its existence, the Lottery has been known for conducting drawings for a plethora of its draw-based games, first with machines and balls, and now, with state-of-the-art random number generators. These drawings are conducted with the highest level of integrity and are in accordance with industry established procedures. We are happy to be able to bring this level of integrity to the cannabis drawings.”
“This is an exciting moment for Kentucky,” said Cabinet for Health and Family Services Secretary Eric Friedlander. “By providing medical cannabis as a safe, regulated treatment option, we are not only creating new opportunities for economic growth but, more importantly, more hope and choice for those with serious medical conditions.”
The Beshear administration is committed to ensuring Kentuckians with qualifying medical conditions have access to safe, affordable treatment.
On Nov. 21, the Governor announced that Kentuckians can find authorized practitioners on the Medical Cannabis Practitioner Directory beginning Dec. 1 at kymedcan.ky.gov. Additionally, authorized medical cannabis practitioners will be able to begin issuing valid written certifications to Kentucky patients on Dec. 1.
On Nov. 7, the Governor announced that all 106 cities and counties that had medical cannabis on the ballot voted to allow medical cannabis businesses to operate in their communities.
On Oct. 28, the state’s first-ever medical cannabis license lottery was held, which selected 26 awardees of cultivation and processor licenses.
In September, the Governor issued Kentucky’s first medical cannabis business license to KCA Labs, a hemp testing lab currently operating in Nicholasville. Since then, the Office of Medical Cannabis has issued 28 total licenses.
In April, the Governor signed House Bill 829 into law, which among other things, took the important step of moving up the timeline for cannabis business licensing from Jan. 1, 2025, to July 2024.
In March, five regulations were filed to provide the framework for how Kentuckians with qualifying medical conditions can become cardholders.
In January, 10 regulations were filed to provide direction for how medical cannabis businesses, including cultivators, processors, producers, dispensaries and safety compliance facilities, will operate in the commonwealth.
In March 2023, the Governor joined lawmakers and advocates to sign Senate Bill 47, which legalizes medical cannabis in the commonwealth.
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