Bowling Green Delays Medical Marijuana Decision as Rollout Approaches
As the days lead up to the official rollout of medical marijuana in Kentucky, the City of Bowling Green is taking a cautious approach. City Attorney Hillary Hightower explained that the delay in action is to ensure the city is poised to do what’s right for its community concerning enforcement and management of this new law.
“What’s best for other jurisdictions doesn’t necessarily mean that’s best for Warren County,” Hightower emphasized. This careful consideration comes on the heels of Kentucky’s new medical cannabis laws, which state that if a municipality doesn’t explicitly *opt out* of allowing medical marijuana sales, it will automatically *opt in* beginning January 1, 2025. This means that shortly, individuals suffering from chronic illnesses, such as cancer, multiple sclerosis, and PTSD, will have legal access to cannabis as a form of relief.
The Lottery and Dispensary Licenses
Things heat up as a recent lottery held on November 25 successfully distributed the first batch of licenses for dispensaries. In a stroke of luck for Bowling Green, three local companies—PROMO PULSE, LLC, FLOWER RADAR, LLC, and AR-MO-KY-MS, LLC—struck gold and received licenses. Additionally, just outside of Bowling Green, Zeus Agoraios, LLC secured a license in Franklin, making it the only other dispensary in the region.
Bowling Green’s decision-making process contrasts with several communities that placed medical marijuana on their November ballots, allowing local voters to weigh in on the subject. A report indicated a resounding approval from the 106 city and county governments that took this route, with Franklin seeing nearly 72% of votes in favor. Interestingly, Bowling Green opted not to put this issue to a vote. Hightower explained that both the city and county were still gathering data and conducting discussions about the rollout, which is why it didn’t make it onto the ballot. “While all that research was going on when it was on the ballot, that just demonstrated further to us what people believe,” she noted.
Planning for the Future
Despite not voting on the medical marijuana initiative, the local government hasn’t been completely inactive since the signing of the new law. Back in March, the City County Planning Commission adjusted local zoning regulations to prepare for medical marijuana sales. According to the new zoning rules, dispensaries can only operate in areas designated for highway business. Importantly, these facilities cannot be situated near residential or agricultural zones, and there must be a minimum distance of 1,000 feet from schools, colleges, and daycare facilities.
Hightower shared her thoughts on Bowling Green’s cautious strategy: “I don’t think it’s a bad idea to do a wait and see approach. Let some other counties and cities do it, and then learn from what they did well and what they did wrong.” This measured tactic may very well set the stage for a smoother introduction of medical cannabis into the community.
As January approaches, many in the community are looking forward to the potential benefits of medical marijuana as a healing option. With a careful eye on how things unfold in nearby areas, Bowling Green looks prepared to make well-informed decisions to ensure that they’re acting in the best interests of their residents.
