Politics
Kentucky’s Medical Marijuana Program Hits New ‘Milestone’ With 30,000+ Cardholders, Lieutenant Governor Announces
Kentucky’s lieutenant governor announced on Thursday that the state’s medical marijuana program has hit “another milestone” by surpassing more than 30,000 registered cardholders—adding that regulators are now “more than halfway finished in our buildout of approved businesses.”
“Those are 30,000 Kentuckians with access to safe relief and that is close to home,” Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman (D) said. “These are our neighbors that are suffering from conditions like cancer, PTSD and multiple sclerosis.”
“Our administration worked hard to bring medical cannabis to Kentucky, and our hard work paid off,” she said, noting that there are now more than 500 medical practitioners who are approved to recommend marijuana to patients.
“So we expect the number of cardholders to keep growing,” the lieutenant governor said. “We’ve been moving forward on every step of the process, and we’ve continued to make progress to ensure that those eligible have access.”
Coleman said that with the opening of a new dispensary in Maysville, the state now has 27 operational medical cannabis retailers.
“Each new dispensary gives more Kentuckians an option closer to home, making it easier for patients to access the care that they need,” she said. “We now have 47 of 80 approved businesses up and operating, and we will have more opening soon.”
Gov. Andy Beshear (D) similarly said last month that the state is “over halfway finished with building out” the medical marijuana program.
Earlier in October, Beshear separately celebrated the fact that medical marijuana dispensaries are now open across all 11 licensing regions of the state following the opening of a retailer in Floyd County.
The governor said in August that the state’s efforts to get medical cannabis dispensaries open was approaching the “halfway mark” to becoming “fully operational.”
He also recently said that hemp is “important” to Kentucky, urging voters not to reelect any members of Congress who are seeking to ban it.
Beshear signed an executive order in June to broaden the list of health conditions that make patients eligible to legally obtain medical cannabis.
But days later, House Majority Whip Jason Nemes (R) asked Attorney General Russell Coleman (R) to ensure that state agencies “not cooperate” with the governor’s marijuana directive, which he called “unlawful.”
“Any organization, any licensee, that participates in this unlawful expansion should be prosecuted,” Nemes said during a legislative committee hearing. “This is not the way forward.”
The governor pushed back, however, saying that the GOP lawmaker exhibited a “complete lack of humanity.”
“It’s helping a lot of people, and I was really surprised to see an attack from one lawmaker who called on the attorney general to prosecute people dying of a terminal illness for securing medical cannabis,” Beshear said. “I mean, that’s a complete lack of humanity. It is really low. I mean, an individual with ALS, you want to prosecute? That is certainly not leadership, and even for that individual, is a new record low.”
After the legislature declined to take him up on a suggestion to expand the qualifying condition list this session, the governor used his authority to make it so patients with 15 additional health disorders—including Parkinson’s disease, HIV/AIDS, sickle cell anemia, fibromyalgia, arthritis and glaucoma—can also be certified for medical marijuana access.
Beshear also rescinded an earlier executive order he issued in 2022 through which he offered to provide pardons for any patients who got into trouble for possessing medical cannabis that they purchased at a legal dispensary in a neighboring state.
The more recent executive order on qualifying conditions is a follow up to a medical marijuana legalization law Beshear signed in 2023. The state’s first medical cannabis dispensary opened in December of last year.
The governor in February announced that cannabis gummies are available for purchase in the state’s licensed dispensaries.
Beshear in January said he’s “not satisfied” with the time it’s taken to launch the state’s medical marijuana program—but that he anticipates the pace of patient access would “pick up significantly” in 2026.
In recognition of the delayed implementation, he signed an executive order to waive renewal fees for patients who get their cards so that they don’t get charged again before retailers open.
Beshear separately announced last year that the state had launched a new online directory that lets people see where medical cannabis dispensaries will be opening near them.
He emphasized that the state has been working to deliver access to patients “at the earliest possible date,” and that involved expediting the licensing process. Last year, the governor also ceremonially awarded the commonwealth’s first medical marijuana cards.
During the November 2024 election, Kentucky also saw more than 100 cities and counties approve local ordinances to allow medical cannabis businesses in their jurisdictions. The governor said the election results demonstrate that “the jury is no longer out” on the issue that is clearly supported by voters across partisan and geographical lines.
Meanwhile, legislature’s Interim Joint Committee on Health Services held a hearing in July on a proposal to allow terminally ill patients to use medical marijuana in hospitals.
Photo courtesy of Philip Steffan.
