By First Fayette County Facility Opens
Lexington’s first medical marijuana growing facility has opened, bringing the total number of operating medical marijuana businesses in Kentucky to 39. The Holler Cannabis Company opened its new cultivation facility in Fayette County on Friday. For security purposes, the exact location of the business has not been disclosed.
The company says it is about a week away from its first harvest and describes the opening as a significant step toward providing Kentucky medical marijuana patients with locally grown medicine. “We are most proud to be a true Kentucky based – locally owned and operated – business and the only one operating in Fayette County,” said Hil Boone with Holler Cannabis Co.
Governor Attends Ribbon Cutting
Governor Andy Beshear attended the ribbon cutting and called the state’s medical marijuana program a success. He pointed to Kentucky’s history with the opioid crisis as context for why the program matters. “We have a really, really safe alternative.
We’re already starting to see numbers of overdoses going down in areas that have a dispensary,” Beshear said.
Beshear acknowledged the program still has room to grow when asked whether Kentucky’s medical marijuana coverage is sufficient. “I think we still have five cultivators – the groups that grow – to go and we have a number of dispensaries that still need to open,” Beshear said.
Program Coverage and Future Growth
Beshear noted that the state is covered in just about every part of Kentucky, but there is one part of eastern Kentucky where a dispensary is still needed. He stated, “We’re covered in just about every part of Kentucky. There is one part of eastern Kentucky we’d like to see a dispensary open in,” Beshear said.
Beshear said that gap in coverage is part of the reason he rescinded his executive order that had allowed Kentucky residents to bring medical marijuana in from other states. The facility represents a major expansion for the state’s medical cannabis network, serving as the latest addition to the list of licensed operators in the region.
