By Melissa Patrick
Kentucky Health News

Since Kentucky’s medical cannabis program launched Jan. 1, 760 Kentuckians have applied to participate in the program.

Gov. Andy Beshear made this announcement at his Jan. 7 news conference, noting that people with a qualifying condition must first receive certification from an authorized registered practitioner stating that they qualify for the program before applying.

Authorized practitioners can be found on the Office of Medical Cannabis website.

“There are currently over 267 authorized registered practitioners in the commonwealth, located in 68 counties across Kentucky,” Beshear said.

He added that more than 3,359 Kentuckians had seen one of these practitioners and received written certification since Jan. 1 and are now eligible to apply for a medical marijuana card.

The Office of Medical Cannabis has 30 days to review each application and if approved, the patient would then get a medical marijuana card.

To qualify for a card, state residents must have at least one of six qualifying medical conditions, including cancer of any type or form, epilepsy and other intractable seizure disorders, chronic or severe pain, multiple sclerosis, muscle spasms and spasticity, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), or chronic nausea or cyclical vomiting syndrome.

Beshear said Kentuckians who are struggling with applying for the program through the website can call a 24-hour call center at 833-727-2828 to speak directly to a representative. Further, the Office of Medical Cannabis is holding monthly webinars for prospective medical marijuana cardholders.

“It’s pretty amazing,” he said. “Nearly 5,000 Kentuckians have signed up for the first webinar being held next Wednesday, Jan. 15. So please visit kymedcan.ky.gov and register for one of the available webinars to learn more about the program.”

The Jan. 15 webinar, titled “How Qualified Patients and Designated Caregivers Become Medical Cannabis Cardholders,” will be held from noon to 1 p.m. EST. The next one will be Feb. 12.