FRANKFORT, Ky. — Kentucky will use a lottery system to award an initial round of licenses to businesses competing to participate in the state’s startup medical cannabis program, Gov. Andy Beshear announced Thursday.
The lottery, set for October, should remove any temptation to lobby in an effort to “get a leg up in different ways that we don’t want to see,” Beshear said at his weekly news conference. The state initially will issue 48 medical cannabis dispensary licenses, divided among 11 regions. The goal is to ensure the shortest possible drive times for Kentuckians with qualifying health conditions, said Sam Flynn, executive director of the medical cannabis program.Massachusetts council approves pardoning people with misdemeanor cannabis convictions
“You can see this is not about having a dispensary on every corner,” Beshear said. “It is a limited program that we can monitor and fulfill the promise we made of doing this safely, but also having access in each region for people that do qualify.”