Latest news with #HouseBill829
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
First medical cannabis safety compliance facility breaks ground in KY
HENDERSON, Ky. (WEHT) – Team Kentucky announced it broke ground on the first medical cannabis safety compliance facility in the state. Officials say State38 LLC, with a roughly $1 million investment, will employ around a dozen Kentuckians. The new safety compliance facility will be one of seven in the state dedicated to ensuring the safety and quality of medical cannabis products. Owensboro Health commits $200K to community projects 'Team Kentucky is dedicated to ensuring every Kentuckian with a qualifying condition has safe access to quality medical cannabis,' said Gov. Andy Beshear. 'I'm excited to see this new industry take root here in Graves County, because I believe health care is a basic human right.' Officials say on April 17, 2024, Gov. Beshear signed House Bill 829 into law, which moved up the timeline for medical cannabis licensing in Kentucky by six months. The Kentucky Office of Medical Cannabis began accepting applications from prospective businesses on July 1, 2024. Officials with Gov. Beshear's office say last month, Team Kentucky broke ground on the first medical cannabis business in the state, Centaurus Farms KY LLC, a Tier II cultivator in Wayne County. A ribbon-cutting was also held for a Tier III cultivator facility in Clark County managed by Cresco Labs. Two arrested after Hopkins County chase 'I'm proud to see the progress that's been made so far, and I look forward to the day when we say that all our safety compliance facilities, cultivators and dispensaries are open for business,' added Gov. Beshear. Gov. Beshear says on March 31, 2023, Gov. Beshear signed Senate Bill 47 into law, legalizing medical cannabis for Kentuckians beginning January 1, 2025. To date, more than 15,000 Kentuckians have received a written certification, and over 10,000 have successfully applied for and received a medical cannabis card. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Auditor announces investigation of how Kentucky awarded medical cannabis licenses
Kentucky legalized medical marijuana in 2023 and began licensing growers, processors and dispensaries last year. (Getty Images) Kentucky Auditor Allison Ball plans to investigate how the state's Office of Medical Cannabis (OMC) processed license applications, she announced Thursday. Ball's office will be 'examining OMC's business license application and award processes,' her office said. 'My office has continued to receive complaints about how the Office of Medical Cannabis administered the lottery process for awarding medical cannabis business licenses,' Ball, a Republican, said in a statement. 'Kentuckians should have confidence that state offices operate with transparency and integrity, and my office is committed to ensuring those standards.' Crystal Staley, a spokeswoman for Beshear, said 'no one has filed a legal claim challenging Kentucky's medical cannabis laws or the Office of Medical Cannabis' regulations.' 'Throughout the entire process we have been committed to transparency, which is why the lottery process was streamed live and online,' Staley said. 'The individuals who have come forward to express 'concerns' went through the full process and did not complain until after not being selected in the lottery.' In 2023, the legislature legalized medical marijuana for Kentuckians suffering from chronic illnesses. Last year, the bipartisan House Bill 829 became law and moved up the medical cannabis licensing timeline from January 2025 to July 1, 2024. During the application period, which was July 1–Aug. 31, the state received 4,998 applications for medical cannabis business licenses, including 918 cultivator and processor applications. Patients who qualify for medical cannabis are those with a history of post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), cancer or other approved medical conditions. The Kentucky Lottery Corporation ran the license lottery. Beshear said Thursday during his weekly press conference that 'more than 12,000 Kentuckians have received a written certification and more than 8,000 have successfully applied for and received a medical cannabis card' since January. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
