Kentucky Awards Medical Marijuana Business Licenses
The Kentucky Office of Medical Cannabis has announced the winners of its medical marijuana cultivator and processor licenses, following a lottery held on Monday. A total of 26 businesses were selected to receive licenses, with two applicants from Jefferson County, 1248 KYP LLC and Synapse Remedies LLC, being among the winners.
The lottery was conducted by the Office of Medical Cannabis and the Kentucky Lottery Corporation, and included applications from prospective businesses seeking to establish processing and cultivation operations. The winners will now be required to pay a licensing fee within 15 days, or risk forfeiting their licenses.
The medical marijuana program in Kentucky is set to launch on January 1, 2025, and will feature 48 dispensaries across the state. Each county will have one dispensary, except for Jefferson and Fayette counties, which will have two each.
The program was established after the Kentucky legislature passed a bill in 2023 legalizing medical cannabis in the commonwealth. The Office of Medical Cannabis opted to distribute licenses through a lottery due to the high number of applicants exceeding the number of available licenses.
Cultivators and processors are the first two types of licenses to be awarded, with dispensary licenses to be announced at a later date. Cultivators will be authorized to grow medical marijuana plants in an enclosed and locked facility, while processors will be able to convert raw plant material into medical marijuana products.
The four tiers of cultivators in Kentucky are based on the amount of space available for growing, with Tier I cultivators being the smallest and Tier III being the largest. The Office of Medical Cannabis has awarded licenses to businesses in all four tiers, with the majority going to Tier I and II cultivators.
The announcement of the license winners comes as the state prepares to launch its medical marijuana program. The program is expected to provide relief to patients suffering from a range of medical conditions, including chronic pain, nausea, and muscle spasms.
