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Kentucky will help connect patients with medical providers as part of its medical cannabis program

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FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky will offer an online directory to help connect patients with medical providers as it prepares for the start of its medical cannabis program in 2025, Gov. Andy Beshear said Thursday.

Cannabis plants at Hepworth Farms in Milton, N.Y.
Marijuana plants at Hepworth Farms in Milton, N.Y. [Mary Altaffer | AP]
So far, 154 doctors and advanced practice registered nurses are authorized to be medical cannabis practitioners, a number that is growing steadily, Beshear said. The medical cannabis program begins Jan. 1.

The online directory will launch on Dec. 1, he said, so patients can find practitioners nearest to them. As more medical providers gain authorization to participate in the program, they will be added to the portal. The governor’s office said the directory will be available at kymedcan.ky.gov.

“All of this is an attempt to have the program up and running as quickly as we can,” Beshear said during his statehouse news conference.

The Democratic governor was a leading supporter of legalizing medical marijuana in Kentucky, and his administration has been responsible for setting up the multitiered system. After years of setbacks for proponents of medical marijuana, the Republican-dominated legislature last year passed the measure legalizing access to medical cannabis for people suffering from a defined list of debilitating illnesses.

Patients eligible for medical marijuana must have a qualifying medical condition and obtain written certification from an authorized medical practitioner, a step that is needed for patients to apply for a medical cannabis card. Qualifying illnesses include cancer, multiple sclerosis, chronic pain, epilepsy, chronic nausea or post-traumatic stress disorder.

“Medical cannabis is about health care,” Beshear said Thursday. “The purpose of this program is to help Kentuckians who are suffering, like our veterans suffering from PTSD.”

Practitioners will be able to see patients starting Dec. 1 and issue the written certifications.

Meanwhile, the first of two lotteries to select applicants for medical cannabis dispensary licenses will be held on Monday, the governor said. The second lottery for dispensary applicants will be Dec. 16. The state already has issued 29 licenses to cultivators, safety compliance facilities and processors.