Have you applied for a Kentucky medical marijuana card? We’d like to hear from you
Kentucky’s online portal for state residents seeking medical marijuana cards began taking applications Jan. 1, and early next month, the first cards are likely to be awarded.
That’s according to Sam Flynn, executive director of Kentucky’s Office of Medical Cannabis, who explained the timeline to aspiring patients Jan. 15 during the first of a series of informational webinars.
“The requirement under law is that we review it and let you all know within 30 days,” Flynn said. “We’ll certainly be trying to do that on a faster clip. We do want to get these approved and moved along and get them to you as fast as possible.”
If early application numbers are any indication, the office has plenty to parse. Within the first week of the portal’s launch, the state received more than 760 cardholder applications and thousands of residents have signed up for the webinar series.
In Kentucky, residents are eligible to use medical marijuana if they have at least one of six qualifying conditions. Those include any type or form of cancer, chronic and severe pain, epilepsy and seizure disorders, multiple sclerosis or muscle spasms, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and chronic nausea or vomiting syndromes that defy treatment.
The process also involves meeting with and obtaining a certification from a doctor or nurse practitioner authorized to work with the state’s program. A directory for those providers can be found at kymedcan.ky.gov.
In an effort to better cover medical cannabis, the Bluegrass State’s program, the business of marijuana and more, we want to focus on patients and caregivers. If you recently applied to become a medical marijuana cardholder in Kentucky, or are have a health condition that has you curious about it, we want to hear about your experience.
We also welcome your general questions about the program and medical cannabis.
In the form below or by emailing ask@herald-leader.com, please share your thoughts on the application process in as much detail as you’re comfortable sharing. We will not disclose any submitted information without a reporter first contacting you.
This story was originally published January 23, 2025 at 5:50 AM.