Beshear Orders Emergency Rule Adding 15 Conditions to Kentucky Medical Cannabis Program

Overview

• Gov. Andy Beshear signed an executive order directing the Kentucky Office of Medical Cannabis to issue an emergency regulation that adds 15 qualifying conditions to the state program, a change announced Tuesday.
• The newly listed conditions include sickle cell anemia, ALS, Parkinson’s disease, HIV/AIDS, Crohn’s disease, severe arthritis, fibromyalgia and glaucoma among others.
• State officials said the regulatory change responds to confusion caused by the original list of six broad conditions and is meant to make eligibility clearer for providers and patients.
• More than 23,700 Kentuckians already hold medical cannabis cards and the state has 32 businesses and over 500 registered practitioners, numbers officials cited to show the program’s rapid growth.
• The emergency regulation is a temporary, fast-acting administrative step that takes effect quickly to expand access while lawmakers or formal rulemaking could later codify or modify the list.