Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear has announced cultivation of the first legal medical cannabis plants in the state began late last week.
It was two years ago the governor signed Senate Bill 47 into law, legalizing medical cannabis for Kentuckians from the beginning of this year. But prior to that, Governor Beshear signed an executive order in 2022 that enabled residents with certain medical conditions to possess and use small amounts from January 2023.
Then in April last year, Gov. Beshear signed House Bill 829 into law that brought forward the timeline for medical cannabis licensing in Kentucky by six months. In July 2024, the Kentucky Office of Medical Cannabis began accepting applications from businesses, and the first licence was granted in September 2024. The state’s first medical cannabis ID cards were issued to patients in February this year.
The first cultivator out of the blocks is Armory Kentucky LLC, a Tier II cultivator based in Mayfield. Tier II cannabis cultivators operate indoor facilities no larger than 10,000 square feet.
Commenting on the milestone, Governor Beshear said:
“This administration made a commitment to Kentuckians suffering from cancer, PTSD, multiple sclerosis and other eligible conditions, and I am proud we are making progress to deliver safe, affordable access to medical cannabis.”
More licensees, among them processors and testing labs, are expected to commence operations in the coming weeks.
As at the time of writing, Kentucky has issued licences to 81 businesses and registered more than 400 medical cannabis practitioners. Over 17,000 Kentuckians have been issued a written certification to access cannabis, and more than 11,000 patients have successfully applied for and received an ID card in the last 5 months or so.
In May this year, the governor announced a new online directory for locating medical cannabis dispensaries and determining when they’ll be opening.
While Beshear expects some of the dispensaries to be open this year, he signed an executive order last Thursday to waive the $25 renewal fee for those who obtained their cards this year and will be reapplying in 2026.
“I know it’s a small amount, but it’s only fair,” he said at the time. “And we’ve been working to make this system one of the best in the country. We’re excited about its progress, and this is just another piece of trying to make sure we’re putting patients, always, first.”
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