FILE – A worker trims leaves from a cannabis plant at Greenlight Dispensary on Oct. 31, 2022, in Grandview, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, File)
Two Kentucky cannabis cultivators officially opened Monday, and for one company, the moment marked a return home.
Kyle Hacker, owner of L&O Legacies, said he and his business partner moved to Colorado and spent seven years working in the cannabis industry, not expecting significant changes in Kentucky anytime soon.
“We thought it would be further in the future than it was,” Hacker said.
That changed when they learned Kentucky was shifting its stance on medical marijuana.
“We put in for an application, hoping that we would come back home, and ended up getting that application accepted and here we are today operating in Kentucky,” Hacker said. “We were able to come home, bring our family back, and it’s been a dream come true.”
The change in policy has also drawn strong support from state leaders. During the official opening in Nicholasville, both the mayor and the governor attended the ribbon-cutting. Gov. Andy Beshear said he’s encouraged to see the growing industry bringing Kentuckians back, but noted that more progress is needed.
“What we’ll see as more of it come online is the prices will come down,” Beshear said. “Now what we’ve got to do is expand the number of conditions. You still have a lot of people out there that have pain through, say Crohn’s, that other states recognize and right now we don’t. So that’ll be our next step.”
Despite bipartisan support that helped launch the industry and attract entrepreneurs like Hacker, concerns remain about how licenses were awarded. Kentucky Auditor Allison Ball announced last week that she is investigating the Office of Medical Cannabis following complaints that larger companies may have had an advantage over smaller, in-state businesses.
Beshear has defended the licensing process, calling it fair and transparent.
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