LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX NEWS) — Lexington's first medical marijuana growing facility has opened, bringing the total number of operating medical marijuana businesses in Kentucky to 39.
The Holler Cannabis Company opened its new cultivation facility in Fayette County on Friday. For security purposes, the exact location of the business has not been disclosed.
The company says it is about a week away from its first harvest and describes the opening as a significant step toward providing Kentucky medical marijuana patients with locally grown medicine.
"We are most proud to be a true Kentucky based - locally owned and operated - business and the only one operating in Fayette County," said Hil Boone with Holler Cannabis Co.
Governor Andy Beshear attended the ribbon cutting and called the state's medical marijuana program a success. He pointed to Kentucky's history with the opioid crisis as context for why the program matters.
"We have a really, really safe alternative. We're already starting to see numbers of overdoses going down in areas that have a dispensary," Beshear said.
When asked whether Kentucky's medical marijuana coverage is sufficient, Beshear acknowledged the program still has room to grow.
"I think we still have five cultivators - the groups that grow - to go and we have a number of dispensaries that still need to open. We're covered in just about every part of Kentucky. There is one part of eastern Kentucky we'd like to see a dispensary open in," Beshear said.
Beshear said that gap in coverage is part of the reason he rescinded his executive order that had allowed Kentucky residents to bring medical marijuana in from other states. By requiring patients to purchase from in-state businesses, he said more operators will be incentivized to open in underserved communities.
