Kentucky’s 5th medical marijuana dispensary opens its doors in Frankfort – WLKY
A new medical marijuana dispensary opened its doors in Kentucky on Friday, marking another milestone in the state’s rollout of legalized medical cannabis, and offering relief to patients who say access can be life-changing.
NuEra Cannabis held its grand opening in Frankfort, becoming the state’s fifth licensed dispensary to open and the third currently operating statewide. The dispensary will be open daily from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
For Randall Cunningham, the opening was personal.
“It’s pretty much life and death for me,” Cunningham said.
Cunningham drove from Shelbyville to be one of the first people in line, not out of curiosity, but necessity. He says medical cannabis is the only thing that helps manage his chronic pain after multiple severe injuries.
“I broke my back four times. Got shattered from my neck to my hips,” Cunningham said. “It’s the only way I can alleviate the pain.”
NuEra Cannabis officials say stories like Cunningham’s are exactly why they’re here.
“It’s just a new era of cannabis,” said Divina Capellupo with NuEra Cannabis. “It’s knocking the stigma down and making sure people feel comfortable.”
The Frankfort location is opening with flower products only, offering about eight options to start. Capellupo says more products are coming soon.
“As the cultivators and processors get up and running, we’ll start seeing a more steady supply,” she said. “We’ll have vapes and edibles probably in the market in the next couple of weeks.”
Medical marijuana became legal in Kentucky last year. Since then, the state has licensed 81 medical cannabis-related businesses, and more than 17,000 Kentuckians have been approved for a medical cannabis card.
Capellupo says the pace of progress has been significant.
“Getting cannabis in the market in a year’s time from when the legislation passed is absolutely huge,” she said.
For patients like Cunningham, the impact goes beyond policy and business.
“It means freedom of pain,” he said. “It means a lot to me.”
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