Kentucky Receives Nearly 5,000 Medical Cannabis Business Applications

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear (D) said this week the Kentucky Medical Marijuana Program has received 4,998 applications for medical cannabis business licenses, WHAS11 reports. State officials are planning to hold a lottery in October to select the program’s licensees.

“When we launched this program, our goal was to ensure that our licensing process was transparent and provided everyone a fair shot at being a part of this new, exciting industry. Today, the results are clear. The incredible interest in this process, especially among Kentuckians, is proof that this program has met that goal and is set up for success now and moving forward.” — Beshear, in his weekly Team Kentucky Update release

Of the nearly 5,000 cannabis license applications the state has received, 4,076 are for dispensary licenses — however, the state will only award 48 such retail licenses, meaning less than 1% of the retail applicants will get a license. The remaining applications break down as such:

• 239 applications for a Tier I Cultivator license
• 190 applications for a Tier II Cultivator license
• 155 applications for a Tier III Cultivator license
• 333 applications for a Processor license
• 5 applications for a Safety Compliance Facility license

Based on the number of applications, Kentucky has earned nearly $28 million in medical cannabis license application fees, with just dispensary applications accounting for more than $20 million, the report said.

The business license application period for the program started July 1 and ended last weekend after a “big flood” of last-minute applications, according to the governor.

“We are just going to have some challenges getting through those total number of applications, doing it right, ensuring that the process is fair, getting through the lotteries and getting up and running,” Beshear said.

The Kentucky Medical Marijuana Program was established via an executive order signed by the governor in 2022.