(LEX 18) — As Kentucky gets ready to launch its medical marijuana program in January 2025, the state is also preparing for possible challenges. The big one may be a sufficient supply of product on day one, according to Gov. Andy Beshear.
The cause of the challenge is the time it takes to create medical marijuana products. It's a process that cannot begin in Kentucky until licenses are awarded, which is expected to happen sometime in October.
"I believe we are on track to have the medical personnel certified, on track to get all the licenses out. But once the licenses are out, the product still has to be grown," said Beshear. "And then, it has got to be processed, and then it's got to be packaged, and it's got to be at the facilities, and it has to be inspected throughout all that."
"If you think about the life cycle of what it will take to get to the store, that's what we're looking at," he added. "But the actual structure of the program itself, I expect to be ready by day one."
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However, Beshear points out that Kentucky may not need a huge supply at the very beginning. Kentucky's narrow program, which is 100% medical, won't require as much product as those in recreation states.
"The market is much smaller, in terms of numbers, than what you see in recreational markets," said Beshear.
This month, the state began accepting applications for medical marijuana business licenses. According to the governor, the applications are slowly coming in.
"The applications are coming in, but we think a lot of people are waiting, right now, until closer to the deadline," said Beshear. "We would strongly encourage people to submit earlier."
"A lot of the applications that have come in already have been found deficient," he added.
Beshear explains that it appears many of the current applicants are using guidelines from other states, which is causing application problems. However, he said the applicants will have time to fix their mistakes. But that's why he's encouraging people to get their applications in soon.
"We want everybody to have time," said Beshear. "We want a bunch of applications to come in, but our encouragement today is: don't wait, reach out, ask questions, and go ahead and submit."
