“Right now we are hoping for late summer, end of fall to potentially have product out there but that is an estimate,” Beshear said.
Beshear says the rollout has been “smooth” with a focus on patients who need medical cannabis for approved conditions like PTSD, chronic pain and cancer.
Companies that will be a part of the state’s medical cannabis program were chosen through a lottery drawing and the Kentucky Auditor’s Office has received numerous complaints calling the process unfair.
An investigation by Louisville Public Media reports that most of the licenses were granted to companies that were out of state, have "deep pockets" and were able to submit multiple applications.
The Governor defends Kentucky’s lottery process, saying the lottery is helping Kentucky’s program move faster than any other state.
“We’re one of the only states that hasn’t had the courts enjoin or enter an order stopping the ramp up of all of those businesses,” Beshear said. “In other states we saw that so we attempted to design a system that put the patient first and then assured that we wouldn’t have those legal impediments or the courts slowing us down.”
State Auditor Alison Ball announced Thursday that her office will be investigating Kentucky’s Office of Medical Cannabis and its execution of the program saying in part:
“Kentuckians should have confidence that state offices operate with transparency and integrity, and my office is committed to ensuring those standards.”
The Governor’s Spokesperson released a statement that reads in part:
“To date no one has filed a legal claim challenging Kentucky’s medical cannabis laws or the Office of Medical Cannabis’ regulations. The individuals who have come forward to express concerns went through the full process and did not complain until after not being selected in the lottery.”
