Kentucky residents have been waiting patiently to have access to medical marijuana.
Now, the state has officially launched its medical cannabis program, making it the 38th state to legalize medical marijuana. This long-anticipated development marks a major shift in Kentucky’s stance on cannabis, opening new doors for patients seeking alternative treatments.
With dispensary licenses granted and doctors now authorized to issue medical marijuana certifications, Kentucky’s medical cannabis program is officially underway. However, while the framework is in place, patients aren’t able to purchase medical marijuana — yet.
Here’s everything you need to know about the timeline, the regulations, when you can purchase cannabis products, and what to expect from Kentucky’s new medical cannabis program.
Before the legalization of medical marijuana in Kentucky, there were some pretty strict rules surrounding the possession or cultivation of marijuana, including:
Harsher charges could be issued for more than the above-listed amounts of marijuana possession and cultivation.
In 2023, Governor Andy Beshear signed the measure that officially made Kentucky the 38th state to allow medical marijuana to be sold to qualified and registered patients.
After the announcement of the upcoming legalization of medical marijuana in Kentucky, the governor signed a bill in March of 2023 that legally protected patients who possess medical marijuana that they purchase from out-of-state licensed retailers.
In early 2024, a bill was signed by Kentucky’s Governor to expedite the cannabis licensing process ahead by six months so the new medical cannabis market launch could also happen sooner.
When applications opened, five thousand applicants (4,000 of which were dispensaries) totaling $28 million in non-refundable fees submitted forms for medical marijuana business licenses. These applications flooded in during the two-month window for applying that ended in October of 2024.
However, only about fifty of those dispensary licenses were selected statewide.
Kentucky was also only issuing a limited number of licenses to other cannabis businesses, too. The number and types of medical marijuana business licenses that were distributed in Kentucky were:
The businesses were chosen by the Office of Medical Cannabis using a lottery system. Three of these lotteries were hosted based on the type of business to decide who would receive licensing for the medical cannabis program launch.
In December of 2024, doctors were authorized to issue certifications to patients for medical marijuana in Kentucky. Inspectors also started the process of reviewing cannabis facilities for businesses that had been awarded a license in December 2024 as well.
Kentucky’s medical cannabis law, called SB 47, was put into place and was created to be a well-regulated medical cannabis program. Its goal was to allow seriously ill individuals to register with the health department to use medical cannabis when recommended by their practitioners.
As of January 1, 2025, the long-awaited official launch of Kentucky’s medical cannabis program occurred.
“Our system has been set up with two goals, first, to ensure patients get access quickly, that we don’t get caught up in court, that those who are suffering can secure medical cannabis in the commonwealth as soon as possible, and second, that the system operates safely,” Governor Beshear said at a press conference in December 2024, according to a report from the Louisville Courier-Journal.
Though execution is slow-moving, Kentucky has laid out the framework for their new medical marijuana program, including qualifying conditions, possession limits, and available products.
Because the medical cannabis program has officially launched in Kentucky, this means 18-year-old Kentucky residents can now become patients with a doctor’s written recommendation. Then, they can apply for a medical marijuana card in Kentucky.
Applicants must also submit a one-time fee of $25 to register with the state and obtain a card. The review process can then take up to a few days. Once approved, access to cannabis at licensed dispensaries is granted.
Currently, the qualifying conditions for receiving a doctor-recommended medical marijuana card in Kentucky are:
Registered medical marijuana patients in Kentucky will be allowed to purchase and possess a 30-day supply of medical cannabis.
Veriheal has satisfied millions of patients nationwide by giving them access to these benefits
Each state has its own set of rules and regulations when it comes to the types of medical marijuana products it allows to be sold and the consumption method of medical cannbis—including Kentucky.
The types of medical cannabis products that will be allowed according to the SB 47 cannabis law starting January 1, 2025, are:
Out of the 39 states with legalized medical marijuana, 30 states allow smoking as a method of consumption. Unfortunately, Kentucky is one of those few states that explicitly prohibit it. According to the verbiage in the SB 47 law, it “prohibits Kentuckians from consuming raw plant material by smoking. Any raw plant materials packaged in Kentucky will be labeled as not intended for consumption by smoking.”
The only other states that don’t allow smoking as a medical marijuana consumption method are:
Several states with legalized medical and recreational marijuana allow cannabis plants to be grown at home.
However, Kentucky will not be one of them. Growing your own medical cannabis without a cannabis business license is also still illegal in Kentucky.
About fifty medical marijuana dispensaries have been approved throughout the state of Kentucky.
Over 100 cities and counties in Kentucky have already approved local ordinances to allow medical cannbis facilities within their jurisdictions. This further highlights that Kentucky is more than prepared for the legalization of medical cannabis.
The new OCM has officially awarded licenses to the lottery winners to produce and sell these regulated products to registered patients.
However, bringing medical or recreational marijuana to a state for the first time can be a slow rollout process—similar to when neighboring state Ohio introduced its recreational program the year prior.
While medical marijuana businesses are now officially legal to operate, and patients are permitted to purchase from them, certain steps still need to be completed before sales can begin.
First, each medical marijuana business must meet all regulatory requirements. Once this is complete, next comes the process of growing, processing, and testing these cannabis products to be ready for purchase.
This process will take a bit of time before dispensaries have approved stock to be able to sell in stores.
Fortunately, everyone involved with the process of rolling this new medical marijuana program out is doing so as quickly as they can while still ensuring product safety.
Because of the variability of these processes, the exact date when medical cannabis products will be available for purchase in Kentucky is not yet known.
For now, the Governor’s executive order is still in place, which gives legal protections for certain qualified patients to purchase marijuana legally in other states and bring it back to Kentucky for use.
In January of 2024, there was a marijuana legislation filed that would have legalized regulated cannabis for adults 21 and older. Unfortunately, it did not advance in the state’s Republican-controlled legislature.
An altered limited legalization measure called HB 72 was later introduced in December of 2024 that would have essentially removed all penalties for simple possession and the use of marijuana by adults 21 and over. It also would have allowed adults to grow a limited number of cannabis plants at home. This measure also did not advance.
Governor Andy Beshear has recently stated, however, that if this new medical program goes well in Kentucky, the next step would be legalizing recreational marijuana. This would involve Kentucky proving they could safely provide medical marijuana before taking further action to make recreational marijuana legal.
Also, according to Kentucky’s Governor, this is a way that officials feel they can show the people of Kentucky who may be hesitant about cannabis coming into the state that there is a need for concern. That way, the next step into legalizing recreational cannabis might go over a bit more smoothly.
Kentucky’s long-awaited medical marijuana program has officially launched, marking a significant shift in the state’s cannabis policies.
While licenses have been issued and patients can now apply for medical marijuana cards, the exact date of product availability is still uncertain as businesses work through regulatory and production processes.
With a well-regulated system in place, Kentucky is taking careful steps to ensure safe access for patients. As the program develops, the success of medical cannabis may pave the way for future discussions on recreational legalization in the state.
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