Kentucky Gov. Signs Order to Add 15 New Qualifying Conditions for Medical Cannabis

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear (D) signed an executive order on Tuesday instructing the Office of Medical Cannabis to dispel doubts about the state’s medical cannabis qualifying conditions and add 15 new conditions to the program.

“The law is meant to provide a safe alternative form of pain relief for Kentuckians suffering, yet the law’s lack of clarity prevented too many people from receiving help. This step makes the law more clear. With the progress we’ve made to reduce overdose deaths and fight addiction, it’s important we continue to offer an alternative to dangerous and addictive opioids. This emergency regulation will help more Kentuckians reclaim their lives through safe, nonaddictive medical cannabis.” — Beshear, in a press release

Kentucky’s medical cannabis program initially covered six conditions, including cancer, chronic pain, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, chronic nausea, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

The newly added conditions include:

• Terminal illness
• Sickle cell anemia
• ALS
• Parkinson’s disease
• HIV
• AIDS
• Huntington’s disease
• Muscular dystrophy
• Cachexia or wasting syndrome
• Crohn’s disease
• Ulcerative colitis
• Neuropathies
• Severe arthritis
• Fibromyalgia
• Glaucoma

Gov. Beshear signed the state’s medical cannabis reforms into law in 2024. The program launched on January 1, 2025.

In May, the state inspector general concluded an investigation into the state’s licensing of medical cannabis companies, deeming the process “transparent and fair.”