Kentucky’s application process for medical marijuana business licenses begins July 1, more than a year after the governor signed off on MMJ legislation.
The state has set an MMJ market launch date of Jan. 1, according to Louisville TV station WDRB.
Kentucky will license four types of cannabis businesses:
- Cultivator.
- Dispensary.
- Processor.
- Safety-compliance (testing) facility.
The state will issue 48 dispensary licenses.
In addition to submitting a detailed application, MMJ business applicants must show they have the necessary financial resources to launch a business.
For example, according to WDRB, applicants seeking to open a dispensary “must prove $150,000 of sufficient capital available, pay a $5,000 nonrefundable application fee, then a nonrefundable $30,000 initial licensing fee if granted.”
Licensees also face a $15,000 annual renewal fee.
The MMJ license application window closes Aug. 31.
License winners will be determined in an October lottery.
Gov. Andy Beshear signed Senate Bill 47, which legalized an MMJ program, into law in March 2023.