Kentucky awarded 12 more medical marijuana dispensary licenses through a second lottery, bringing to 48 the number of licensed MMJ sellers.
The applicants were selected through a random number generator on Monday at the Kentucky Lottery Corp.
The state previously awarded 36 MMJ dispensary permits in a Nov. 25 lottery.
In an Oct. 28 lottery, the state awarded 16 licenses for cultivators and 10 for processors.
“Team Kentucky remains focused on building this emerging industry the right way,” Gov. Andy Beshear said in a statement.
“Ultimately, this program is about the patients, and we are excited about building this program so that they have access at the soonest possible date.
Kentuckians can begin applying for medical marijuana cards on Jan. 1.
They will need written certification from an authorized MMJ practitioner and other required information.
“It’s important to note that physicians and advanced practice registered nurses do not issue medical cannabis cards,” Sam Flynn, executive director of Kentucky’s Office Of Medical Cannabis, said in a statement.
“Rather, they write certifications into our electronic monitoring system so when a patient applies for a card – which allows purchase of medical cannabis – their written certification will populate, and the patient can click on it to associate the certification with his or her card application.”
Kentuckians with eligible health conditions have been able to get written certification for medical marijuana since Dec. 1.
