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Bowling Green hears first reading of local licensing rules for medicinal cannabis businesses
Summary
City staff presented a first reading of an ordinance to add local licensing and registration for medicinal cannabis businesses, covering an application process, annual renewal, and local revocation authority; the ordinance also reiterates city zoning restrictions the commission adopted last year.
City staff gave the Bowling Green Board of Commission a first, nonbinding reading of an ordinance (BG 2025-1) on Jan. 21 that would add local business registration and a specific municipal application and licensing process for medicinal cannabis businesses.
Hillary (city staff) said the ordinance requires businesses to complete the city business registration and a dedicated medicinal-cannabis application, pay a $500 application fee, and renew that city license annually so the city can track owners and operators and respond to local complaints. "If they were to violate and have a license revoked, they couldn't apply for two years," Hillary said.
Staff said the state Health and Family Services Cabinet will be the lead state regulator and that state enforcement and license revocation remain possible for violations of state laws. The city ordinance is intended to provide local control so the city may revoke a municipal license if a business violates local rules, zoning or state law.
Commissioners asked about zoning and proximity restrictions. Staff said local rules expand on state requirements: dispensaries must be in commercial (highway business/general business) zones, not adjacent to residential or agricultural zones, must be at least 1,000 feet from schools (the local definition includes universities and other school properties) and cannot be within a mile of another dispensary. Planning staff earlier adopted zoning standards in March 2024 to identify permissible locations; staff said about 15–20 sites in the city met the combined state/local constraints at the time of the review.
Staff also said Warren County currently has one dispensary license expected to remain in-county, two cultivator licenses and two processor licenses awarded for the county; staff noted the product pipeline will take months to become locally produced and available. Hillary told commissioners that retail dispensaries must be standalone facilities and that sales must be conducted from a controlled counter environment.
The ordinance was given a first reading at the Jan. 21 meeting; commissioners did not vote on final adoption at this meeting.
