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Kentucky will end conditional pardons July 1 as state-run medical cannabis program comes online, Beshear says
Summary
Gov. Andy Beshear said Kentucky has licensed cultivators, processors, compliance facilities and dispensaries (33 businesses in all), that more than 24,288 people have medical cards and that the administration will end the conditional pardon allowing out-of-state purchases starting July 1 because in-state access is now available.
Governor Andy Beshear told reporters the state'run medical cannabis program has completed licensing steps and that he will end the conditional pardon for out-of-state purchases on July 1 now that in-state access is established.
"In November 2022, I signed an executive order providing a conditional pardon to Kentuckians suffering from eligible conditions that purchased medical marijuana or cannabis from out of state," Beshear said, noting the legislative legalization that took effect Jan. 1, 2025. "Now that medical cannabis is readily available, we're gonna end the conditional pardon starting on July 1."
Beshear said Team Kentucky has launched "every step of the process" with 33 businesses up and running across the state: 11 cultivators, two safety-compliance facilities, three processors and 17 dispensaries. He said more than 24,288 Kentuckians have been approved for a medical cannabis card and that roughly 500 practitioners are authorized to evaluate patients.
He described the rescission of the conditional pardon as a timing decision tied to in-state availability and patient safety oversight: "Now this should give people plenty of time. You have the rest of the month if you're traveling out of state to contact an eligible practitioner and apply for a medical cannabis card right here in Kentucky." Beshear also said last week he signed an executive order clarifying qualifying conditions; he listed 15 additional conditions including terminal illness, ALS and Parkinson's disease.
Beshear framed the program as a clinical alternative to opioids for people in pain and criticized a lawmaker who reportedly urged criminal prosecution of terminally ill patients who obtained medical cannabis, calling that position "a complete lack of humanity."
In Q&A he said that dispensaries are spread "pretty well" across the state but acknowledged one part of Eastern Kentucky may need improved access. He encouraged residents who previously relied on out-of-state purchases to apply for in-state cards before July 1.
The governor did not provide an exhaustive list of the 15 added qualifying conditions in the briefing transcript; he said the administration will share regulatory guidance and the medical-cannabis website provides the full list and instructions for obtaining a card.
