Kentucky citizens could now have access to medical cannabis this year as the state’s Governor Andy Beshear announced plans to significantly reduce the timeline.
The state became the 38th in the US to legalise medical cannabis last year after the Governor signed House Bill 47 into law.
However, the bill is not due to come into effect until January 2025, and it has been criticised as one of the strictest frameworks in the US.
On Thursday, Beshear signed off on House Bill 829, which will ‘expedite the timeline for making medical cannabis available’ and bring the launch date up to July 01, 2024.
The passage of the bill has now seen the Kentucky Medical Cannabis Program (KMCP) publish a string of new regulations to help businesses prepare.
Business owners can begin applying for their licences from July 01 to August 31, and will have to pay an application fee and submit financial, ownership and business information.
Applications will be approved through a lottery system, in a move the KMCP’s executive director, Sam Flynn, says is designed to ensure ‘cannabis business licensing is fair and transparent’.
The first 58 licenses, including 10 processors and 48 dispensaries, will be granted in October and will be issued in all 11 regions.
Each region will initially be granted at least four dispensary licenses, however, not more than one dispensary can be located in each county except Jefferson and Fayette.
