The Leitchfield City Council voted at Monday’s meeting on whether to allow the possibility of a medical cannabis dispensary to operate within the city limits.
The council had four options to choose from:
- Opt-in by ordinance
- Opt-out by ordinance
- Let voters decide (if voters opt to not allow a dispensary to operate in the city, the city must wait four years to vote again on the matter, or take other action)
- Do nothing and whatever county government decides will apply to the city
Last week, in a special-called meeting, a resolution to place the decision in voters’ hands was defeated 4-2 following an impassioned plea by Councilwoman Terri Haycraft stating that she believes that forcing those who qualify for a medical cannabis card to travel to receive the medication is wrong and unprecedented. Click here for her entire statement.
In Monday night’s vote, the council voted 4-0 to allow a cannabis dispensary to open in the city of Leitchfield (if the city is chosen by the state). Two council members, Dennis Fentress and Clayton Miller, who voted last week to let voters decide, abstained from the vote.
Medical cannabis will be available beginning January 1, 2025, to people with the following diseases/health issues and disorders:
- Chronic or debilitating pain
- Epilepsy or any other seizure disorder
- Multiple sclerosis, muscle spasms, or spasticity
- Chronic nausea or cyclical vomiting syndrome that has been proven resistant to other conventional medical treatments
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- Any other medical condition or disease that the Kentucky Center for Cannabis determines.
The state will initially issue 48 medical cannabis dispensary licenses in 11 regions around the commonwealth. Each region will be allotted no more than four dispensary licenses (except Louisville and Lexington’s regions which can have up to six), and counties will be limited to one dispensary, except Jefferson and Fayette counties, which will have two, according to Sam Flynn, Executive Director of Kentucky’s medical cannabis program
Dispensaries are prohibited from being operated within 1,000 feet of an existing elementary or secondary school or daycare center. Local governments may issue additional restrictions.
Grayson County is in region 9, along with Breckinridge, Meade, Hardin, Nelson, Washington, Marion, Taylor, Green, Adair, Hart, and LaRue counties.
Click here to read a comprehensive overview of Kentucky’s medical cannabis program.
By Ken Howlett, News Director
Contact Ken at ken@k105.com
