Kentucky’s governor is calling on lawmakers to let more patients legally access medical marijuana, and he’s announcing that cannabis gummies are now available for purchase in the state’s licensed dispensaries.
Gov. Andy Beshear (D) said at a briefing on Thursday that his administration sent a letter urging legislative leadership to pass a bill adding ALS, Parkinson’s disease, Crohn’s disease, sickle cell anemia, fibromyalgia, glaucoma, terminal illnesses and other maladies as medical cannabis qualifying conditions.
“In most other states that have a medical marijuana program, these are conditions that are covered, and they are conditions that our board of physicians and advisors have recommended as as proper,” he said. “Expanding the list could help provide relief to approximately 430,000 Kentuckians that currently don’t have access but are dealing with these challenges.”
The governor said state officials are “making great progress” in rolling out the medical marijuana program “to increase access to those already eligible.”
“Today, we have 510 registered practitioners and over 18,500 approved card holders, and those numbers continue to grow,” Beshear said, adding that regulators are making “steady progress” in approving businesses at each step of the cannabis supply chain.
“As the supply chain expands, patients are starting to see more options come online,” he said. “We can announce that gummies are now on the market in Kentucky, and that progress is showing up in communities across Kentucky. ”
The governor’s latest update comes about a month after he took to the podium and said he’s “not satisfied” with the time it’s taken to launch the state’s medical marijuana program—but that he anticipates the pace of patient access would “pick up significantly” in 2026.
Also last month, Beshear said he expects two additional dispensaries will open their doors “once additional product becomes available.” The state’s first medical cannabis dispensary launched in December.
The governor, who has long championed cannabis reform, previewed the market launch that month, while making the case that medical marijuana will help thousands of patients find an alternative to opioids for pain management.
He made much of crossing a 15,000 patient registration milestone in late October, but that’s evidently grown meaningfully in recent weeks.
Beshear previously acknowledged that “it’s taken longer than we would have liked” to stand up the industry since he signed medical marijuana legalization into law in 2023.
In recognition of that delayed implementation, he signed an executive order to waive renewal fees for patients who get their cards this year so that they don’t get charged again before retailers open. And another order he signed providing protections for qualified patients who obtain medical marijuana outside of Kentucky “will stay in place.”
Beshear separately announced in May that the state had launched a new online directory that lets people see where medical cannabis dispensaries will be opening near them.
He emphasized that the state has been working to deliver access to patients “at the earliest possible date,” and that involved expediting the licensing process. Last January, the governor also ceremonially awarded the commonwealth’s first medical marijuana cards.
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Meanwhile, the governor sent a letter to Kentucky’s congressional delegation last year, “urging them to take decisive action to protect the constitutional rights of our law abiding medical cannabis patients” by repealing the federal ban on gun possession by people who use marijuana.
That came after bipartisan Kentucky senators filed legislation that similarly called on the state’s federal representatives to take corrective action, which Beshear said he supports but would like to see even more sweeping change on the federal level.
The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) warned Kentucky residents in 2024 that, if they choose to participate in the state’s medical marijuana program, they will be prohibited from buying or possessing firearms under federal law.
Health practitioners have been able to start assessing patients for recommendations since the beginning of last December.
While there currently aren’t any up-and-running dispensaries available to patients, Beshear has further affirmed that an executive order he signed in 2023 will stay in effect in the interim, protecting patients who possess medical cannabis purchased at out-of-state licensed retailers.
During the November 2024 election, Kentucky also saw more than 100 cities and counties approve local ordinances to allow medical cannabis businesses in their jurisdictions. The governor said the election results demonstrate that “the jury is no longer out” on the issue that is clearly supported by voters across partisan and geographical lines.
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