LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Kentucky voters overwhelmingly approved the sale of medical marijuana in their counties.

Voters in some Kentucky towns and counties decided if medical cannabis will be allowed in their local areas on Tuesday.

Not every county, city and town in Kentucky will have medical cannabis on Jan. 1. The law was written to allow local governments to opt out either through an ordinance or ballot resolutions. So, during the 2024 election, thousands of Kentuckians in 50 counties approved the sale of medical marijuana in their areas.

Kentucky will issue 48 dispensary licenses in just a few weeks, with two of those in Jefferson County. That will be decided in a lottery system out of nearly 5,000 applicants.

The first drawing will be Nov. 25, followed by the second drawing on Dec. 16. Last week, more than two dozen businesses were chosen to be part of the cultivation and processing.

Currently patients with one of six medical conditions can get a medical marijuana card, but they have to get it in a different state. Those conditions include cancer, chronic pain, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, chronic nausea and post traumatic stress disorder.

Dr. Ryan Grell, who runs the Kentucky Medical Marijuana Center in NuLu, said patients are going to see a benefit.

"We tailor our recommendations based on what the patient's medical conditions are," said Grell. "Just like there's 20, 30 different classes of blood pressure medications, there's that many strains of medical cannabis out there."

Grell said there's a lot of scammers out there. Grell said there are only about 100 doctors who are actually certified to prescribe medical marijuana.

To avoid being scammed, ask questions if you are looking to become a patient. Also, ask the doctor to see their license. If they're not willing to share that information for you, it's a big red flag.

You can also double check with the Office of Medical Cannabis to be sure the doctor is legit.

Kentucky became the 38th state to allow the use of medical or recreational marijuana after passing the law last year.

Applications for medical cannabis businesses started July 1. Businesses can start operating Jan. 1, 2025.

Four license types were available:

  • Cultivator: responsible for planting, raising, harvesting, trimming and curing raw plant material
  • Processor: responsible for processing and packaging raw plant material into usable product formats
  • Safety compliance facility: responsible for contamination and purity testing of raw plant material and products
  • Dispensary: responsible for purchasing and selling finished products to cardholders

State law restricts dispensaries from operating within 1,000 feet of schools or daycares.

For more information on medical marijuana in Kentucky, click here. For more information on marijuana use in Kentucky for patients and caregivers, click here. 

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