What Will Medical Cannabis Look Like in Lexington?
Cannabis growing facility. Source: Wikimedia Commons
In March 18th’s Council Work Session, Council will hear about Lexington’s plans surrounding medical cannabis, commonly known as medical marijuana. Medical cannabis will be legal in Kentucky on January 1st, 2025, but there is legislation in Frankfort that may move that date to sometime in 2024 if passed, so the City is looking at ways to implement the new law allowing medical cannabis.
According to State law, the City can regulate medical cannabis through primarily two means: zoning ordinances dictating where cannabis businesses can and cannot be located, and fees that the City can collect on businesses. An ordinance on fees is currently being drafted and will come to Council in the next few months for a vote.
On March 21st, the Planning Commission initiated a Zoning Ordinance Text Amendment (ZOTA) to determine which land-use areas that cannabis businesses can be located in. Below is a table breaking down their ZOTA proposal.
Proposed zoning regulations for medical cannabis businesses in Lexington. Source: Lexington Division of Planning
For clarification, the four types of cannabis businesses are:
Cultivator - Where cannabis is grown. There are four cultivator tiers based on building size, with Tier 1 being 2,500 square feet and Tier IV being 50,000 square feet.
Processor - Where the plant product is turned into something usable for medical purposes.
Producer - A combination of Cultivators and Processors, where growing and processing occur at the same facility.
Safety Compliance Facility - Independent facility that inspects medical marijuana products to make sure they comply with State law.
Dispensaries - Where residents with authorized medical cannabis purchasing cards can buy the product.
Planning Staff hopes to have the ZOTA approved by Council by mid-June. The Planning Commission will hold a Public Hearing on the ZOTA on May 9th, after which they will vote to approve or disapprove the ZOTA. Council’s presentation this Tuesday is for information only.
