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Gov. Beshear: Medical Cannabis Now Available Across All Kentucky Licensing Regions

 

FRANKFORT, Ky. (Oct. 16, 2026) – Today, Gov. Andy Beshear announced that medical cannabis is now available across all 11 of Kentucky’s dispensary licensing regions following the opening of Sunnyside Dispensary in Floyd County. The dispensary officially opened its doors on Monday, Oct. 12, following approval from Team Kentucky’s Office of Medical Cannabis on Friday, Oct. 9, and serves as the first dispensary in the Mountain Region.

 

“Kentuckians suffering from PTSD, cancer, terminal illnesses, sickle cell anemia and more deserve a safe, non-addictive option for relief, and medical cannabis provides that,” said Gov. Beshear. “With this week’s opening of Sunnyside Dispensary, we now have dispensaries open in all 11 licensing regions throughout the commonwealth. Every step of this process has put patients first, and I’m proud of the progress we’ve made.”

 

Sunnyside Dispensary is located at 81 Glynview Plaza, Suite 147, in Prestonsburg. With this opening, Kentucky now has 26 operating dispensary facilities.

For more information on qualifying conditions or to find a participating provider and begin the application process, visit KyMedCan.Ky.gov.

 

Medical Cannabis Program
On June 14, 2022, Gov. Beshear issued an executive order creating the Team Kentucky Medical Cannabis Advisory Committee, which hosted multiple town hall forums to hear from Kentuckians on medical cannabis. The findings were released to the public in August 2022 along with a report summarizing that Kentuckians overwhelmingly supported medical cannabis.

 

Following the actions of the Advisory Committee, on March 31, 2023, Gov. Beshear signed Senate Bill 47, legalizing medical cannabis for Kentuckians beginning Jan. 1, 2025.

 

On April 17, 2024, Gov. Beshear signed House Bill 829 into law, which moved up the timeline for medical cannabis licensing in Kentucky by six months. The Kentucky Office of Medical Cannabis began accepting applications from prospective businesses on July 1, 2024.

 

To date, Kentucky has 46 medical cannabis businesses up and running and has registered over 500 medical cannabis practitioners. More than 28,000 Kentuckians have been approved for medical cannabis cards.

 

On June 2, 2026, Gov. Beshear signed an executive order directing Team Kentucky’s Office of Medical Cannabis to issue an emergency regulation further clarifying qualifying conditions for medical cannabis in Kentucky law. With the clarification, 15 additional conditions are recognized, including sickle cell anemia, ALS, Crohn’s disease, Parkinson’s, terminal illness and more.

 

Under KRS Chapter 218B, the Office of Medical Cannabis is responsible for implementing and administering the Kentucky Medical Cannabis Program. The Office oversees licensed businesses throughout the opening process and ongoing operations, with a focus on patient access, product safety and regulatory compliance.

 

For more on Kentucky’s Medical Cannabis Program, visit kymedcan.ky.gov.