Kentucky Issues First Medical Cannabis Patient IDs

Kentucky officials have awarded the state’s first two medical cannabis cards and the governor announced about 2,200 more patient applications have also been approved, LEX 18 reports.

Gov. Andy Beshear (D) and Sam Flynn, the executive director of the Office of Medical Cannabis, awarded the first two medical cards during the governor’s Team Kentucky Update on Thursday to Ryan Grell, an anesthesiologist and the medical director and owner of Kentucky Medical Marijuana Center, and Merissa Khumalo, a former teacher at Rise STEM Academy for Girls.

The governor said the state had received nearly 4,000 medical cannabis applications. As of Thursday, “only 66 applications have been denied, 51 of which are due to technical issues, and they can reapply, 15 applications have been denied due to a disqualifying felony offense,” Beshear said.

The governor also called for state lawmakers to protect the Second Amendment rights of Kentucky medical cannabis patients:

“No law-abiding Kentuckian, or American for that matter, should have to choose between a constitutional right like the Second Amendment and getting the medication that they need,” he said. “That’s why I’m urging the congressional delegation to introduce legislation to address this issue and to protect the constitutional rights of Kentuckians and of all Americans. There should not be a loss of a right within our Bill of Rights simply for choosing a legalized system of medication that’s best for you.”

The Kentucky medical cannabis program officially launched on January 1, 2025.

To qualify for the program, patients must be approved by a registered physician. Qualifying conditions for the program include cancer, chronic pain, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, chronic nausea, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).