Kentucky Medical Cannabis Program Officially Launched

As of January 1, 2025, the medical cannabis program has begun in Kentucky. As explained in an overview on the website for the Kentucky Office of Medical Cannabis, Governor Andy Beshear signed Senate Bill 47 on March 31, 2023, “as part of his effort to reduce Kentuckians' reliance on addictive opioids and provide them with relief from severe and chronic pain” (1). Cannabis for recreational purposes is still illegal in the state.

The registry portal is now open for patients and caregivers and the state’s medical cannabis program can begin accepting applications. To qualify for an ID card, individuals must be diagnosed with one of the following conditions: ​any type or form of cancer; chronic or severe pain; epilepsy or other intractable seizure disorder; multiple sclerosis, muscle spasms, or spasticity; chronic nausea or cyclical vomiting syndrome; or post-traumatic stress disorder. The fee is $25 annually, and individuals will also need to receive certification from an authorized practitioner.

The Office of Medical Cannabis is hosting one webinar every month in 2025 on how potential medical cannabis patients and caregivers can become cardholders. Webinars will also be hosted for licensed Kentucky physicians and APRNs on how to become authorized to write certifications for patients.

On January 7, 2025, Governor Beshear provided an overview of the newly launched program in a Team Kentucky Update (2). In the live presentation, he stated, “As of January 1, 2025, over 170 Kentuckians applied for the medical cannabis card, and as of yesterday, 760 applications for the card have been received. Under Kentucky law, the Office of Medical Cannabis has 30 days to review each of those applications. Those applications submitted are currently under review.” He also stated that there were more than 267 authorized registered practitioners in 68 counties as of January 7, and that since December 1, 2024, more than 3359 Kentuckians had received written certification for medical cannabis. In regard to the monthly webinars hosted by the Office of Medical Cannabis, he stated, “This is pretty amazing, nearly 5000 Kentuckians have signed up for the first webinar being held next Wednesday, January 15^th.”

Consumption of cannabis by combustion remains illegal, and for patients under 21 years of age, consumption by vaporization is illegal, as prohibited by Kentucky Revised Statutes Chapter 218B.

Medical cannabis products that were cultivated, processed, tested, and sold in the state will have a standardized symbol on the package.

The lottery for cultivator and processor licenses was held in October 2024, and lotteries for the 11 medical cannabis dispensary regions were held in November and December 2024. Licensed dispensaries are anticipated to have products for purchase starting in 2025.

The neighboring state of Ohio recently recorded over $2 million in total product sales for medical cannabis as of December 30, 2024 (3). Medical cannabis became legalized in the state in 2019, and sales for non-medical use cannabis began in August 2024.

References

1. Kentucky Office of Medical Cannabis. https://kymedcan.ky.gov/Pages/index.aspx (accessed Jan 8, 2025).
2. Gov. Andy Beshear - Team Kentucky Update 1.07.25 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3fclxLNeUjg (accessed Jan 8, 2025). [Medical cannabis update begins at 38 minutes and 40 seconds]
3. McEvoy, E. Recreational Cannabis Sales in Ohio Reaches $242 Million, According to Report https://www.cannabissciencetech.com/view/recreational-cannabis-sales-in-ohio-reaches-242-million-according-to-report (accessed Jan 8, 2025).