Why is medical cannabis still unavailable in Kentucky?

FRANKFORT, Ky. (FOX 56) — More than 8,000 Kentuckians have received a medical card for the state’s medical cannabis program, but there’s still nowhere in the state where the product is sold.

“It’s not opening a lemonade stand. It’s not opening even a traditional vape shop. It’s a lot more like opening a pharmacy as far as the regulations and compliance goes,” Bradley Clark told FOX 56 News.

The technical start date for the date Kentucky’s medical cannabis program was on Jan. 1, and by the end of the month, the first medical cards were being issued.

“I think you’re going to see dispensaries open before Halloween, and I wish that it could happen faster. But that’s just the problem of taking an industry from 0 to 100, right? It takes time,” Clark said.

Clark legally represents about 20 of the various licensees in the budding business as managing attorney of KY Cannalaw. He said right now there’s no urgency to get those doors open because it’s just too early. Groundbreakings were only just held last month on some of the state’s first grow operations in Wayne and Clark counties; some that haven’t gotten up and running yet have hit other hurdles.

“We had one facility that we thought we would have built by now, but when we went to start the build-out, the plumber looked at it. It was a cultivator, and the capacity just wasn’t there for the waste disposal that we needed,’ Clark explained.

A limited number of business licenses were issued last fall by the state, and while they can legally be transferred to a different owner, the program is not currently set up for new businesses to come into the space. So, Clark expects prospective patients will still need a lot of patience when storefronts eventually open.

“There’s going to be shortages. There’s going to be—demand is going to outstrip supply at the beginning. Prices are going to be higher than we want to see them,” he said. “We’re talking about less than 1,000 pounds per store per year right now, with the way it’s allotted—that’s what we’re looking at, which is very small.”

Clark said the good news is there will be plenty of competition that eventually comes along to drive prices down, but Kentucky will still have a long wait to get there.