Kentucky to host medical marijuana license lottery in October

By Fletcher Keel

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    FRANKFORT, Kentucky (WLWT) — The countdown is on: Starting next month, Kentucky will host a lottery for medical marijuana licenses.

It’s a big step toward making Kentucky’s medical cannabis program a reality.

Earlier this month, the state said nearly 5,000 applications were submitted by businesses in the Commonwealth to obtain a license to sell medical marijuana.

However, only 48 licenses will be given out.

The first permits will be awarded next month and the program is on schedule for a January 2025 launch.

But, the timeline is tight to make sure there’s enough product on shelves. In case there’s not, Gov. Andy Beshear says there’s a backup plan.

“If we believe there are going to be concerns about the availability of product, my plan is to leave the executive order in effect. Which would allow people – under very certain, specific conditions – to secure product from Ohio, which has opened up its program, and other states.”

Beshear says because Kentucky’s medical marijuana program is so limited, and only people with certain qualifying conditions can buy the product, they’re not expecting demand to be very high.

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