Whereas this week’s election noticed main hashish referendums fail in Florida and North Dakota, Kentucky confirmed overwhelming assist for medical hashish.
In a historic present of assist, each single one of many 106 counties and cities in Kentucky that held a poll referendum on Tuesday voted to permit medical hashish companies to function inside their jurisdictions.
This unanimous approval units the stage for the state’s medical hashish program, launching on January 1, 2025.
The landslide victories had been constant throughout the state, with:
- 100% of the 106 poll referendums passing (53 counties and 53 cities)
- 67% of county voters (341,766 folks) and an almost equivalent share of metropolis voters supporting the measure
- The biggest margins of victory in:
- Marion County and Nelson County, with over 75% of voters in favor (notably, two of the three counties as soon as dwelling to the notorious “Cornbread Mafia”)
- Bardstown, with a whopping 78% of voters approving the measure
Even in areas with decrease margins, the result was nonetheless decisive. The closest a poll measure got here to failing was in Union, Boone County, the place 52% of voters in the end accredited hashish companies.
Different notable approvals embrace:
- Shelbyville, Shelby County: 72% in favor
- Mt. Washington, Bullitt County: 67% in favor
- Florence, Boone County: 64% in favor
- Independence, Kenton County: 63% in favor
Curiously, Manchester, Clay County, dwelling to Republican Senate President Robert Stivers (a former opponent of medical hashish legalization), voted 69% in favor, with 68% of Clay County voters additionally approving the measure.
Whereas 20 counties and over 40 cities have opted out of permitting medical hashish companies by means of native ordinances, sufferers with prescriptions will nonetheless be permitted to own and use medical hashish in these areas.
The state is presently awarding licenses to cultivators, processors, and dispensaries by means of a lottery system, with almost 50 dispensary licenses to be awarded by the top of the 12 months.
Kentucky’s Medical Hashish Program: By the Numbers
- Launch date: January 1, 2025
- Variety of counties/cities with poll referendums: 106 (53 counties, 53 cities)
- Variety of poll referendums handed: 106 (100%)
- Common voter approval charge: roughly 67%
- Largest margin of victory: 78% (Bardstown)
- Smallest margin of victory: 52% (Union, Boone County)
