Gov. Andy Beshear announced Jan. 8 that the state had approved its first cannabis processor, Bison Infused, located in Dayton, Kentucky. Beshear said the approval of Bison Infused is expected to result in multiple products becoming available in the coming weeks.

“Our priority is ensuring Kentuckians suffering from serious medical conditions like cancer, PTSD or multiple sclerosis can have access to medical cannabis as soon as possible,” he said.

The state’s first dispensary, The Post in Beaver Dam, opened Dec. 13, but sold out of product just days after opening and has temporarily closed its doors. The dispensary plans to reopen in January, according to its website.

Beshear also noted that several other dispensaries will soon open, including ones in Lexington and Boone County.

The Lexington Herald-Leader reports that Lexington’s first medical marijuana dispensary, called Speakeasy Dispensary, will open to the public at 10 a.m., Thursday, Jan. 15. It will have a limited supply of products for registered cardholders, Aaron Mudd reports in a detailed story about how the dispensary will operate.

Beshear said Bluegrass CannaCare in Boone County will open when enough product becomes available.

Kentucky Alternative Care, a medical marijuana dispensary in Jefferson County, is also expected to open within the next two weeks, WDRB reports, noting that it too is waiting on product.

“We have the cultivators. We now have a processor. And we have dispensaries. This should greatly speed up product coming to dispensaries around the state,” Beshear said. “And I know it feels like it’s taken a long time, but the rules were very specific about how it had to be grown, how it had to be processed if it was going to be in certain products, how our dispensaries needed to be safe.”

Under state law, all medical marijuana sold in Kentucky must be grown and processed in the state and cultivation did not begin until about five months ago, WDRB reports.

When asked how he felt about the progress of the state’s medical marijuana program, Beshear said he was not satisfied.

“A lot of people have medical cards, and there’s still need for product on the shelves. I’m not satisfied. I want it to speed up,” he said. “We’re pushing for it, but the crops got to grow. It’s got to be processed. The restrictions inside the law were aimed at a very secure system, which is important. But that also meant it took a little more time than we would have liked. I expect it to pick up significantly, but I’m not going to be satisfied until we are at 100% capacity.”

So far, more than 17,300 Kentuckians have been approved for medical cannabis cards. Over 500 practitioners are registered to issue certifications, and they have already issued nearly 26,000 electronic certifications, according to a state news release.