Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear announced this week that the state’s medical cannabis program is “over halfway” to its full rollout. The announcement came as Kentucky’s 26th medical cannabis dispensary opened its doors to patients, Marijuana Moment reported on Wednesday.
“My administration worked hard to bring medical cannabis to Kentucky, and our hard work paid off,” the Democratic governor said at a press conference on Wednesday, adding that the legislation he signed in 2023 to legalize medical cannabis took effect last year.
“I’m proud to say that just a year and a half later, Team Kentucky is over halfway finished with building out this program,” said Beshear. “We now have 46 of 80 approved businesses up and operating. It includes 13 cultivators, two safety compliance facilities, five processors, and those 26 dispensaries.”
“We moved quickly to bring relief to Kentuckians, and we’ve always put the patient first,” he said, noting what he called “amazing progress” in providing access to medical cannabis for patients statewide.
All 11 Licensing Districts Have an Operating Dispensary
Beshear noted another achievement in the rollout of Kentucky’s medical cannabis program at a separate event last week, announcing that dispensaries are now open in all 11 of the state’s licensing districts.
“Now every qualifying Kentuckian has access to safe, non-addictive relief close to home,” Beshear said on October 14.
“We’ve hit milestone after milestone, and access continues to expand,” he added.
The governor said at this week’s press conference that more than 29,000 Kentuckians have been approved for state medical cannabis cards. He also noted that more than 500 medical practitioners have registered to recommend medical cannabis to qualifying patients.
“Folks suffering from serious conditions like PTSD, cancer, multiple sclerosis, and more now have a safe alternative that can deliver relief,” he said.
Beshear’s press conference followed comments in August in which he reported that the rollout of the state’s medical cannabis program was at the “halfway mark” toward becoming “fully operational.”
Kentucky Legalized Medical Cannabis in 2023
Kentucky’s 2023 medical cannabis legalization law established six categories of qualifying conditions, including cancer of any type or stage; chronic, severe, intractable or debilitating pain; epilepsy or other intractable seizure disorders; and multiple sclerosis, muscle spasms or spasticity. The law also included post-traumatic stress disorder and chronic nausea or cyclical vomiting syndrome that has resisted conventional medical treatments.
After legalization went into effect in 2025, Beshear called on the legislature to expand the list of qualifying conditions so more patients could benefit from medical cannabis. After lawmakers declined to do so, the governor issued an executive order in June 2026 to add 15 more ailments, including Parkinson’s disease, HIV/AIDS, sickle cell anemia, fibromyalgia, arthritis, and glaucoma, to the state’s list of qualifying conditions.
Republican lawmakers balked at the expansion of the medical cannabis program, with House Majority Whip Jason Nemes calling on Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman to ensure that state agencies do “not cooperate” with Beshear’s executive order, which he called “unlawful.”
“Any organization, any licensee, that participates in this unlawful expansion should be prosecuted,” Nemes said during a legislative committee hearing. “This is not the way forward.”
The governor pushed back, however, saying that the legislator exhibited a “complete lack of humanity.”
“It’s helping a lot of people, and I was really surprised to see an attack from one lawmaker who called on the attorney general to prosecute people dying of a terminal illness for securing medical cannabis,” Beshear said. “I mean, that’s a complete lack of humanity. It is really low. I mean, an individual with ALS, you want to prosecute? That is certainly not leadership, and even for that individual, is a new record low.”
A list of Kentucky’s licensed medical cannabis dispensaries is available online.
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The information in this article and any included images or charts are for educational purposes only. This information is neither a substitute for, nor does it replace, professional legal advice or medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you have any concerns or questions about laws, regulations, or your health, you should always consult with an attorney, physician or other licensed professional.
