Latest news with #OfficeofMedicalCannabis
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
‘We started getting calls': Kentucky Auditor probes into lottery process for marijuana business licenses
FRANKFORT, Ky. (FOX 56) — When Kentucky opened the door to medical cannabis, it promised opportunity. Not long after, questions started to be asked. 'We began to get calls from reporters, a couple of reporters that reached out to us early on,' said Kentucky Auditor Allison Ball. 'And so that was on our radar screen pretty early, and then we started to get a number of calls from Kentucky farmers and Kentucky small businesses.' That's when the digging started. NOAA's predictions for summer 2025 just got even hotter: What's in store for Kentucky? 'We discovered two things that were recurring situations from people who would call us,' Ball added. 'One was app tracking, so it's a way, really, to beat the system; it's application stacking. So it'll be one business that sets up a lot of other LLCs so they can apply multiple times.' She said another red flag is vertical integration, where one company doesn't just grow the cannabis but also tests it, processes it, and sells it. 'We know of at least one out-of-state company, an Arkansas company, that is fully integrated, that they got a cultivator license, and they got a processing license, so they actually got four dispensary licenses, and told us there is a real issue with vertical integration,' Ball explained. 'We know for sure of at least one company, and we think there's more.' Now, Ball wants answers and has launched an investigation into the state's Office of Medical Cannabis, asking tough questions about how licenses were handed out and who benefited. For background, the state handed out 48 licenses for 11 regions throughout the state, but received more than 4,000 applications. 'It's supposed to give everybody a fair shot at this, whether you're a small farmer from rural Kentucky or you're a small business from our larger areas, whatever you are, you've got a fair shot at getting one of these licenses,' said Ball. She said her office will start its investigation by looking into each business. Lexington shopping center sold: What we know about the new owner 'We started getting calls': Kentucky Auditor probes into lottery process for marijuana business licenses 'Casanova Killer' executed nearly 30 years after Kentucky arrest 'When you actually look into it, the location wasn't real,' Ball added. 'So that's concerning, especially if you have a regulation that is designed to prevent this from happening.' Ball doesn't expect the investigation to delay the process, but said investigators are focused on making sure the lottery was conducted fairly. Meanwhile, Governor Beshear said there was nothing illegal in how the lottery was conducted. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Kentucky auditor accuses Democrats of trying to intimidate her with open records requests
Republican Auditor candidate Allison Ball waves to the crowd during the 143rd Fancy Farm Picnic on Saturday, Aug. 5, 2023. (Kentucky Lantern photo by Austin Anthony) Republican State Auditor Allison Ball is calling five open records requests from a Kentucky Democratic Party official 'an attempt to intimidate me' from investigating how the state's Office of Medical Cannabis processed license applications. Ball, who has previously clashed with the Beshear administration over her office's investigations, issued a statement Monday saying after she announced the investigation into OMC earlier this month Kentucky Democrats 'sent five Open Records Act requests to my office in what can only be described as an attempt to intimidate me from continuing the investigation.' However, the Kentucky Democratic Party denied that the requests were related to Ball's investigation. Ball said a Finance and Administration Cabinet official sent similar open records requests after her office announced investigations into the Cabinet for Health and Family Services in recent months. 'It is a shame that parties would seek to weaponize the Open Records Act, an important transparency tool, as a political weapon,' Ball said. 'Because I believe in the importance of transparency, I have responded to the KDP's requests in full, just as I did to the Finance Cabinet requests. 'Kentucky should rest assured that these intimidation tactics will not work. I will continue to carry out the job that Kentuckians elected me to do.' Under the Kentucky Open Records Act, members of the public may request records from public agencies within the state. Kentucky Democratic Party spokesperson Nat Turner said in a statement to the Kentucky Lantern that Ball 'is trying to manufacture partisan drama, and what she is alleging is not true.' 'The requests in question were not related to her audit; they were for records related to grievances, personal appeals, travel records and her use of taxpayer money to attend a religious leadership conference,' Turner said. 'Transparency is important and Auditor Ball has a responsibility to be accountable to Kentuckians.' Joy Markland, a spokesperson for Ball, shared copies of the requests made by the Democrats and responses of the auditor's office. The records match the requests Turner described. In a search for the records, the auditor's office found no records of grievances from staff members filed this year and provided records related to travel, personal appeals and contracts entered by the office. Amye Bensenhaver, a retired Kentucky assistant attorney general and co-founder and co-director of the Kentucky Open Government Coalition, said 'all is fair in love and open records.' The state law is 'intended to be almost blind to who is asking and why they're asking,' with some limitations on requests made for commercial reasons, she added. Ball's accusation against the state Democratic party is also 'weaponizing the law,' Bensenhaver said. 'Ultimately, you could be a thin-skinned public official who shows resistance or expresses outrage when your office is expected to produce records, but it tends to undermine your credibility when you're seeking records from another public agency,' Bensenhaver said. Some political staffers look for information to use in campaign messaging through open record requests. Ahead of the 2023 governor's race, the office of then Republican Attorney General Daniel Cameron ruled Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear's administration violated the Kentucky Open Records Act when denying part of a request from the Republican Party of Kentucky. Cameron later became the Republican nominee and was defeated by Beshear that fall.
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Kentucky auditor announces investigation of the state's medical cannabis program
FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky's auditor said Thursday that her office will investigate the state's medical cannabis program after receiving complaints about the lottery system used to award highly sought-after licenses to grow, process and sell the medicinal products to eligible patients. Auditor Allison Ball said her office will examine the application process and how business licenses were awarded as part of its review of the Office of Medical Cannabis in Gov. Andy Beshear's administration. The state received thousands of applications for licenses, and Beshear has said the state-run lotteries last year were a fair way to give applicants a chance to land the limited number of licenses awarded. The governor's office said Thursday that the licensing regulations underwent legislative reviews and that the process to award the licenses was transparent, including the live-streaming of lotteries. '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,' Beshear spokeswoman Crystal Staley said. However, reviews by Louisville Public Media found that out-of-state residents dominated the lotteries for licenses, tracing it to a flood of applications from deep-pocketed companies. In announcing the probe Thursday, the state's Republican auditor 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. Kentuckians should have confidence that state offices operate with transparency and integrity, and my office is committed to ensuring those standards.' Asked for details about who lodged complaints, Ball's office replied: 'To avoid disrupting the ongoing investigation, we are not able to provide further comment regarding any specifics at this time.' When announcing the lottery system nearly a year ago, Beshear called it a fair process meant to remove any temptation to lobby in an effort to 'get a leg up in different ways that we don't want to see.' Limiting cultivator, processor and dispensary licenses was meant to avoid flooding the market with medicinal cannabis products that could exceed demand, hurting the fledgling businesses, Beshear said. The governor has said the program could be expanded with more businesses in the future, depending on demand and whether more qualifying medical conditions are added. Kentucky lawmakers legalized medical cannabis for people suffering from a range of debilitating illnesses, including cancer, multiple sclerosis, chronic pain, epilepsy, chronic nausea and post-traumatic stress disorder. Kentucky's medical cannabis program launched at the start of 2025. The cultivation and distribution network is ramping up for the start of sales. More than 8,000 Kentuckians so far have received a medical cannabis card, Beshear said, and ground was broken recently for a cultivation operation. 'We are working as fast as we can to get safe, reliable medical cannabis on the shelves for those who qualify for a card,' Beshear said Thursday. The medical cannabis probe is the latest review of the Democratic governor's administration by the auditor's office. Earlier this year, Ball said a preliminary review found that dozens of foster children in Kentucky spent nights sleeping in social services buildings while awaiting placement by a state agency. Ball said those preliminary findings have spurred a broader investigation.
The Independent
17-04-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Kentucky auditor announces investigation of the state's medical cannabis program
Kentucky 's auditor said Thursday that her office will investigate the state's medical cannabis program after receiving complaints about the lottery system used to award highly sought-after licenses to grow, process and sell the medicinal products to eligible patients. Auditor Allison Ball said her office will examine the application process and how business licenses were awarded as part of its review of the Office of Medical Cannabis in Gov. Andy Beshear 's administration. The state received thousands of applications for licenses, and Beshear has said the state-run lotteries last year were a fair way to give applicants a chance to land the limited number of licenses awarded. The governor's office said Thursday that the licensing regulations underwent legislative reviews and that the process to award the licenses was transparent, including the live-streaming of lotteries. '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,' Beshear spokeswoman Crystal Staley said. However, reviews by Louisville Public Media found that out-of-state residents dominated the lotteries for licenses, tracing it to a flood of applications from deep-pocketed companies. In announcing the probe Thursday, the state's Republican auditor 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. Kentuckians should have confidence that state offices operate with transparency and integrity, and my office is committed to ensuring those standards.' Asked for details about who lodged complaints, Ball's office replied: 'To avoid disrupting the ongoing investigation, we are not able to provide further comment regarding any specifics at this time.' When announcing the lottery system nearly a year ago, Beshear called it a fair process meant to remove any temptation to lobby in an effort to 'get a leg up in different ways that we don't want to see.' Limiting cultivator, processor and dispensary licenses was meant to avoid flooding the market with medicinal cannabis products that could exceed demand, hurting the fledgling businesses, Beshear said. The governor has said the program could be expanded with more businesses in the future, depending on demand and whether more qualifying medical conditions are added. Kentucky lawmakers legalized medical cannabis for people suffering from a range of debilitating illnesses, including cancer, multiple sclerosis, chronic pain, epilepsy, chronic nausea and post-traumatic stress disorder. Kentucky's medical cannabis program launched at the start of 2025. The cultivation and distribution network is ramping up for the start of sales. More than 8,000 Kentuckians so far have received a medical cannabis card, Beshear said, and ground was broken recently for a cultivation operation. 'We are working as fast as we can to get safe, reliable medical cannabis on the shelves for those who qualify for a card,' Beshear said Thursday. The medical cannabis probe is the latest review of the Democratic governor's administration by the auditor's office. Earlier this year, Ball said a preliminary review found that dozens of foster children in Kentucky spent nights sleeping in social services buildings while awaiting placement by a state agency. Ball said those preliminary findings have spurred a broader investigation.
Associated Press
17-04-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
Kentucky auditor announces investigation of the state's medical cannabis program
FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky's auditor said Thursday that her office will investigate the state's medical cannabis program after receiving complaints about the lottery system used to award highly sought-after licenses to grow, process and sell the medicinal products to eligible patients. Auditor Allison Ball said her office will examine the application process and how business licenses were awarded as part of its review of the Office of Medical Cannabis in Gov. Andy Beshear's administration. The state received thousands of applications for licenses, and Beshear has said the state-run lotteries last year were a fair way to give applicants a chance to land the limited number of licenses awarded. The governor's office said Thursday that the licensing regulations underwent legislative reviews and that the process to award the licenses was transparent, including the live-streaming of lotteries. '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,' Beshear spokeswoman Crystal Staley said. However, reviews by Louisville Public Media found that out-of-state residents dominated the lotteries for licenses, tracing it to a flood of applications from deep-pocketed companies. In announcing the probe Thursday, the state's Republican auditor 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. Kentuckians should have confidence that state offices operate with transparency and integrity, and my office is committed to ensuring those standards.' Asked for details about who lodged complaints, Ball's office replied: 'To avoid disrupting the ongoing investigation, we are not able to provide further comment regarding any specifics at this time.' When announcing the lottery system nearly a year ago, Beshear called it a fair process meant to remove any temptation to lobby in an effort to 'get a leg up in different ways that we don't want to see.' Limiting cultivator, processor and dispensary licenses was meant to avoid flooding the market with medicinal cannabis products that could exceed demand, hurting the fledgling businesses, Beshear said. The governor has said the program could be expanded with more businesses in the future, depending on demand and whether more qualifying medical conditions are added. Kentucky lawmakers legalized medical cannabis for people suffering from a range of debilitating illnesses, including cancer, multiple sclerosis, chronic pain, epilepsy, chronic nausea and post-traumatic stress disorder. Kentucky's medical cannabis program launched at the start of 2025. The cultivation and distribution network is ramping up for the start of sales. More than 8,000 Kentuckians so far have received a medical cannabis card, Beshear said, and ground was broken recently for a cultivation operation. 'We are working as fast as we can to get safe, reliable medical cannabis on the shelves for those who qualify for a card,' Beshear said Thursday. The medical cannabis probe is the latest review of the Democratic governor's administration by the auditor's office. Earlier this year, Ball said a preliminary review found that dozens of foster children in Kentucky spent nights sleeping in social services buildings while awaiting placement by a state agency. Ball said those preliminary findings have spurred a broader investigation.
