LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — Lexington's first medical cannabis dispensary is set to open on Thursday, marking a significant milestone for the state's healthcare landscape.
Gov. Andy Beshear celebrated the opening of Speakeasy Dispensary with a ribbon cutting Wednesday afternoon, after visiting Natural State Greengrass Canna Co. in Richmond, a licensed grower expected to create about 100 jobs.
"After a long year setting up this program in a safe, regulated way, medical cannabis is going to be available in Lexington Kentucky. How about that?" Beshear said during Wednesday's ribbon-cutting ceremony.
The governor toured the dispensary alongside Kentucky's Office of Medical Cannabis, meeting staff and learning about products that will provide a remedy to qualifying patients across the state.
"It's going to provide relief to folks suffering from chronic pain who might turn to opioids, to folks that sacrifice for our country and carry the scars of PTSD, to cancer patients that want to find pain relief that doesn't have the other side effects," Beshear said.
Speakeasy Dispensary offers multiple service options for patients, including online ordering for curbside pickup, drive-thru service, and in-store shopping.
The governor called the dispensary a successful public-private partnership that will boost the economy while providing long-awaited relief to more than 17,000 Kentuckians approved for medical cannabis cards.
"Remember every single county or city that put this on the ballot. It passed," Beshear said. "This isn't a democrat or a republican thing, this is medicine our people need and all parts of the political spectrum agree on. And isn't it nice when everyone on the political spectrum can agree on something?"
Speakeasy officially opens to the public Thursday, January 15 at 10 a.m. It's located at 1849 Alysheba Way in Lexington.
Qualifying conditions and application process
Only patients with medical cannabis cards can purchase products from dispensaries. To obtain a card, patients must have one of the following qualifying conditions under state law:
- Any type or form of cancer
- Chronic or severe pain
- Epilepsy or other intractable seizure disorder
- Multiple sclerosis, muscle spasms, or spasticity
- Chronic nausea or cyclical vomiting syndrome
- Post-traumatic stress disorder
The application process requires three steps:
First, patients must visit an authorized practitioner for written certification. Kentucky's medical cannabis program maintains a directory of more than 400 authorized doctors statewide.
Second, patients submit an online application with the state using their doctor's certification.
Finally, patients must receive approval from the Cabinet for Health and Family Services before receiving their ID card.
