KENTON COUNTY, Ky. — Four Northern Kentucky businesses became some of the first medical cannabis dispensaries to receive operating licenses during a state-run lottery drawing Monday.
"This is another major step for ensuring Kentuckians suffering from cancer, PTSD and other serious conditions have access to safe, affordable medical cannabis," Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said.
Out of 334 eligible applications in the Northern Kentucky region, Beshear said the following four were selected:
- Yellow Flowers, LLC in Erlanger (Kenton County)
- Nicole Tirella in Alexandria (Campbell County)
- Bluegrass Cannacare, LLC in Florence (Boone County)
- Green Grass Cannabis, LLC in Erlanger (Kenton County)
The Northern Kentucky region is comprised of the following counties: Boone, Bracken, Campbell, Carroll, Gallatin, Grant, Kenton, Owen and Pendleton.
Florence Mayor Julie Aubuchon said the city wasn't actively courting the marijuana industry, but worked for more than a year to ensure rules were in place in the event a business was awarded the chance to open there.
"We've been operating with a lot of confusion for more than a year," Aubuchon said.
The city crafted a zoning map with more than 100 plots zoned to allow a medical marijuana dispensary, but many of those lots are within the range of schools, churches and other ineligible developments.
Others are already developed properties like the automalls near Mall Road and Burlington Pike.
"They're scattered in different corridors set that we want to have access if our citizens want access. We don't want to be so restrictive, but we also want to be respectful," Aubuchon said.
Other towns had hoped to win a license within their boundaries but didn't get the luck of the draw.
"We did our best," Bellevue Mayor Charlie Cleves said.
Cleves said the residents of his one-square-mile village voted three-to-one in the November election to allow medical marijuana dispensaries in town.
"If they wanted it, that's what the city wants," he said.
Cleves also lamented the tight distribution of Northern Kentucky's dispensaries.
He said he hoped the Kentucky Office of Medical Compliance would consider adding additional businesses in the region.
"I think they said they'd be willing to balance it out, and they will have to balance it because otherwise all of the people in the southernmost are all going to be driving a long way, which isn't fair," Cleves said.
In total, 36 Kentucky medical cannabis dispensaries were awarded licenses out of 2,551 eligible applications in regions three through 11, state officials said.
Each region was awarded four licenses, with a limit of one dispensary license per county. That means one of Erlanger's two winners must operate the business in a county other than Kenton.
“Those applicants selected in today’s license lottery will have 15 days to pay their license fees. Once the fee has been paid, the office will issue a license to that business," said Sam Flynn, executive director of the Kentucky Office of Medical Cannabis. "As we noted, this is the most fair and transparent way to issue these licenses."
The first of two dispensary lotteries, Monday's drawing dealt with nine of Kentucky’s 11 medicinal cannabis regions, including the Northern Kentucky region.
The second lottery is slated for Dec. 16. It will deal with the two remaining regions: Louisville, the Kentuckiana Region, and Lexington, the Bluegrass Region. Because of their large populations, the counties located within the regions, Jefferson and Fayette, will receive an additional two licenses each.
A state-run lottery for processor and cultivator licenses has already taken place, with zero licenses issued to businesses in Boone, Kenton or Campbell counties.
Approximately 4,998 businesses applied for medical cannabis operating licenses across all categories, Beshear said.
According to the Office Of Medical Cannabis, those who apply for a medical marijuana card must be a Kentucky resident, have no disqualifying felony offenses and be diagnosed with at least one of the following medical 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 and
- Post-traumatic stress disorder
Kentucky will begin accepting applications for cards on Jan. 1, 2025. Those seeking a card must get a written certification for medical cannabis from an authorized medical practitioner, according to the Office Of Medical Cannabis. Becoming a cardholder comes with a one-time $25 fee.
