At a press conference Thursday, Gov. Andy Beshear (D) called it “great news” that The Post Dispensary in Beaver Dam will officially begin accepting registered medical cannabis patients starting Saturday. supplied by the state’s first licensed cannabis growerFarmtucky.
“This news makes Saturday the first day that safe, regulated medical cannabis is available to patients, and makes The Post the first fully approved and licensed medical dispensary in the state,” Beshear said. “Our priority is to ensure that Kentuckians with cancer, PTSD, MS and other serious medical conditions can now have access to safe medical cannabis.”
“It will be a limited supply that we expect to sell out on Saturday,” he said. “But this certainly shows what’s to come, and it’s a big mark that we’ve achieved in this program.”
It will be the Post Dispensary open on Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.-or while supplies last. There will also be a ribbon cutting ceremony at 9 am
The governor, who has long championed cannabis reform, He anticipated a market launch earlier this monthwhile claiming that medical marijuana will help thousands of patients find an alternative to opioids for pain management.
Beshear provided more specific details on the program’s progress, noting that more than 23,000 patients have received e-certificates for access to cannabis, including nearly 1,800 to treat cancer symptoms, and 15,000 with chronic pain, “who would otherwise be taking opioids, which is one of the reasons we’ve pushed this program so hard.”
In terms of licensing marijuana businesses, the state has so far approved 16 cultivations, 48 dispensaries and six security compliance facilities. Officials have also certified 506 doctors to prescribe medicinal cannabis.
In his letter to the president, he noted that a pending proposal to move cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) is “something you supported during your presidential campaign.”
“That process should be allowed to play out. Americans deserve leadership that won’t move the goalposts in the middle of the game,” Beshear said, noting that he was among the tens of thousands who filed public comments in favor of reform when he began the Biden administration, “showing broad public interest in reprogramming.”
“I joined that effort because it’s about helping people. The rescheduling would give suffering patients the relief they need,” the governor said. “It would ensure that communities are safer because legal medical products reduce the illegal market. It would provide new and meaningful research on health benefits.”
Beshear also cited a letter to the DEA he signed last year asking for rescheduling because “the jury is no longer out on marijuana. It has medical benefits.”
Back at the state level, the governor recently said he recognizes that “it’s taken longer than we’d like” to get the industry under control since he signed into law the legalization of medical marijuana in 2023.
Meanwhile, the governors sent a letter to Kentucky’s congressional delegation in Januaryurging them to “take decisive action to protect the constitutional rights of our law-abiding medical cannabis patients” by repealing the federal ban on possession of firearms by marijuana users.
The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) warned Kentucky residents late last year that if they choose to participate in the state’s medical marijuana program, they will be prohibited from buying or possessing firearms under federal law.
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Speakeasy Dispensary will officially open its newest medical cannabis location in Kentucky at 108 E. Main St., Princeton, KY 42445, further expanding access to patients in Caldwell County and surrounding communities.
The dispensary will open at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, April 10 for registered medical cannabis patients.
Located in the heart of downtown Princeton, the space reflects Speakeasy’s vision to blend local character and a comfortable, patient-first experience. The carefully designed environment provides a welcoming entrance before patients enter the main sales floor, where trained team members provide personalized guidance and education tailored to the individual’s needs.
“Each new location is an opportunity to meet patients where they are,” said Casey Flippo, CEO of Gold Leaf Management. “Communities like Princeton are an important part of Kentucky’s medical cannabis program, and expanding access here means more patients can explore safe and regulated options closer to home. As the program continues to take shape, our focus remains on building something reliable, accessible and rooted in long-term care.”
Opening weekend will feature a low-cost patient drive, offering new and existing patients an affordable and streamlined way to obtain or renew their Kentucky cannabis license.
In partnership with the Kentucky Cannabis Industry Association and LexMed & Wellness, patient tours will be held Friday, April 10th from 11:00am to 7:00pm and Saturday, April 11th from 11:00am to 5:00pm. Appointments will be made with a licensed provider in a mobile unit on site, so patients can complete the entire process, including assessment, notary and state filing, in one visit.
Patients can register for an appointment by clicking here. The appointment fee is $25, and an additional $25 state fee must be paid when submitting documents to the state portal. The $25 state fee is waived for anyone who received a valid medical card in 2025.
As Kentucky’s medical cannabis market continues to develop, product availability and selection will continue to grow along with additional growers and processors entering the space. In addition to flowers and gummies, Speakeasy Princeton plans to have an extensive menu soon after opening, which will include vapes and concentrates, along with a new variety of gummies. Speakeasy continues to focus on providing a consistent education-first experience supported by strong statewide partnerships.
“The issue is not whether the funds should be used, but how they are used and how we are doing it in a responsible and sustainable way.”
By Henry Culvyhouse, Mountain State Spotlight
This story was originally published by Mountain State Spotlight. Get stories like this delivered to your email inbox once a week; sign up for the free newsletter at https://mountainstatespotlight.org/newsletter.
Even with the veto he could have delayed it further $38 million spent on medical marijuana raised over the past four years, state Treasurer Larry Pack (R) now says he will release the funds during his original term.
Last week, Gov. Patrick Morrisey (R) vetoed a bill that would have required the release of medical marijuana funds to help the homeless and expedite child abuse and neglect cases in the court system. He said the bill tied up money for future expenses.
In his veto letter, Morrisey wrote, “West Virginia needs to do a better job of planning for the future, and cannot fully pre-commit future revenue like this if it has reserves to invest more in roads, water, sewer, site selection, rail and future tax cuts.”
Morrisey said he was willing to negotiate with the Legislature on how to spend the money.
“The issue is not whether the funds should be used, but how they are used and whether we are doing so responsibly and sustainably,” Lars Dalseide, a spokesman for the governor’s office, wrote in an email.
But the money was pre-committed in state code.
Pack’s office said 100 percent of that money will go to various offices and programs mandated by the original law; more than half to the Office of Medical Cannabis, with the remaining funds split between the substance abuse treatment grant program and law enforcement grants. The move negates the governor’s desire to use future reserves to deal with infrastructure and tax cuts.
Pack is not the first state treasurer to express concern. State Treasurer John Perdue (D) said his office would not keep money in 2018 after the Medical Cannabis Act was passed. Riley Moore (R), who beat Perdue in the 2020 race, never released the money.
In the 2026 Legislative Session, Del. Rep. Evan Worrell, R-Cabell, said he read a report on the funds raised and wanted to change it. He successfully led a bill that would have forced the state to spend money on a commission to help thousands of children with abuse and neglect in court and homelessness services.
Had the governor not vetoed the bill, the money would have been earmarked for one year for those things. The commission on substance abuse research, treatment, and abuse and neglect would continue for years to come.
Treasurer’s Office spokeswoman Carrie Smith said that due to the complexity of state and federal laws, the office had been working for months to release the money. He said that the money has been sent to the Department of Security and the Department of Health.
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With the April 2025 tax return filing deadline fast approaching, cannabis companies must once again face the burden of Section 280E of the Internal Revenue Code (“Section 280E”). Despite significant developments over the past year — including a major executive order from President Trump and the IRS, for the first time, disclosing legal reasoning funds to keep state cannabis “within the meaning” of Section 280E — taxpayer scrutiny remains the same.
However, whether substantively or psychologically, these recent developments weigh on how taxpayers should deal with Section 280E. Below, we summarize the key developments that cannabis taxpayers should be aware of as they prepare their 2025 returns.
As discussed in previous publications, Section 280E provides: “(e) no deduction or credit shall be allowed for any amount paid or incurred in the course of any trade or business during the taxable year, if such trade or business (or the activities constituting such trade or business) is trafficking in controlled substances (controlled substance classes I and II prohibited by State or Federal law).
Because cannabis is now listed as a Schedule I controlled substance under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), the IRS has consistently maintained that Section 280E applies to state-licensed cannabis businesses, significantly increasing their effective tax rates.