BY ROGER SMITH
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN
WARFIELD — The Warfield City Commission has signaled its intent to allow medical cannabis operations within city limits, moving forward with the first reading of a new ordinance Thursday.
The ordinance cites the benefits to residents as a key reason for permitting licensed medical cannabis cultivators, dispensaries, processors, producers and safety compliance facilities to operate in the city.
“This will be beneficial to a lot of people in our area,” Commissioner John Sammons said. “It won’t be like a drugstore. You have to have a prescription to get this, so I’m all in favor of it.”
Mayor Mike Hinkle expressed a more neutral stance, stating that he could not “vote for or against it.”
In response, Sammons emphasized the medicinal value of cannabis, comparing it to suboxone.
“It’s medicine, Mike,” commented Sammons. “If suboxone is a medicine, marijuana is better for you than that.”
The ordinance comes on the heels of Senate Bill 47, signed into law by Governor Andy Beshear in March 2023, which legalized medical cannabis in Kentucky starting Jan. 1, 2025. Under this law, cities and counties automatically opt in the state’s medical cannabis program, though they retain the authority to enact local restrictions, fees or prohibitions.
The Warfield City Commission plans to hold a second reading of the ordinance Sept. 28. As part of this process, commissioners will also need to discuss license fees and other potential regulatory details.
The Kentucky Medical Cannabis Program is set to issue 48 dispensary licenses across the state, with each of Kentucky’s 11 licensing regions receiving at least four. No county is permitted more than one dispensary license except for Jefferson and Fayette counties, which will have two each. Martin County and Warfield fall within Region 6 (Mountain), which includes 17 other counties.
In addition to dispensary licenses, the state will also issue 10 processor licenses and 16 cultivator licenses, the latter divided into three tiers based on the size of the indoor cultivation area.
License applicants faced varying capital requirements and application fees. Each dispensary and processor applicant had to show $150,000 of capital and pay a $5,000 application fee. Those seeking Tier 1 cultivation licenses needed to demonstrate $50,000 in capital and pay a $3,000 fee. Tier 2 cultivation license applicants had to show $200,000 in capital and pay $10,000, while Tier 3 had to show $500,000 in capital and pay a $20,000 fee.
The application period for these licenses closed Sunday.
The state will select winners through a lottery in October.
Allowable medical cannabis products beginning Jan. 1 include edibles, oils, tinctures, vapes and raw plant material. The law prohibits the consumption of raw cannabis plant material by smoking. It also requires that all raw plant materials packaged in the state be labeled as “not intended for consumption by smoking.”
Cannabis consumption outside of the medical cannabis program remains illegal in Kentucky.
For an individual to be eligible for a qualified patient registry ID card in Kentucky, they must have one of the following qualifying medical conditions:
Any type or form of cancer;
Chronic or severe pain;
Epilepsy or other intractable seizure disorder;
Multiple sclerosis, muscle spasms or spasticity;
Chronic nausea or cyclical vomiting syndrome;
Post-traumatic stress disorder.
Individuals must visit an authorized medical cannabis practitioner and receive a written certification to use medical cannabis.
The Patient and Caregiver Registry Portal will be available by Jan. 1, 2025.
