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The Governor of Kentucky, Andy Beshear, has provided a long-awaited update for the states’ prospective medical cannabis patients on the progress of its programme.
In March this year, following a decade of failed attempts, Mr Beshear signed a new bill making it legal for patients suffering from cancer, epilepsy, parkinsons and a range of other health issues to be prescribed medical cannabis.
Since the bill was signed, patients have been awaiting news of the programme’s rollout, which is understood to not be formally launched until 2025.
On Thursday October 05, Mr Beshear held a press conference in which he stated that his ‘office is preparing to communicate the implementation of this law’ via a new website kymedcan.ky.gov, which will provide relevant information for ‘providers, growers, physicians and others with an interest’.
Alongside the launch of this website, Mr Besear announced the creation of the ‘Team Kentucky Medical Cannabis Workgroup’.
This 12-member group is now understood to have met for the first time on October 04, and will aim to ‘study the evolving medical cannabis industry policy and the state of medical cannabis policy… around the country’.
The group will make recommendations to the programme to ‘ensure (Kentuckians) have safe access to medical cannabis’.
Ahead of the launch of the state’s medical cannabis programme, Mr Beshear said those with qualifying medical conditions can ‘continue to seek relief… by going out of state’ and following the conditions detailed in an earlier executive order.
This enables eligible patients to purchase and possess up to eight ounces from dispensaries in other states.