Holler Cannabis Company opened its cultivation facility Lexington on Friday, 20 months after the company secured a state license to grow medical marijuana.
The private-sector business is part of Kentucky's growing medical cannabis industry, intended to serve qualifying individuals despite cannabis remaining illegal at the federal level. Under the state law authorizing medical cannabis, all aspects of Kentucky’s weed production, from growth to sales, must occur in the state.
Kentucky held a lottery in October 2024, licensing cultivators, the companies that grow cannabis, and processors, which make ready-to-buy products. Cultivation takes time, however, and Kentucky-grown cannabis is just now getting off the ground.
Gov. Andy Beshear, who attended Friday’s ribbon-cutting in the Lexington Manor neighborhood, told members of the press the industry is a success, but he wishes it had come together a little faster.
“Our goal was to do this in a safe, highly regulated way, where we convinced even the skeptics that this could be done correctly, and I believe that it has,” he said.
Holler Cannabis Co. is a tier 1 cultivator, among the 10 smallest-scale growers in the state. Its plants in the flowering stage have about a week of growth left. At Friday’s opening, there were some finished and trimmed products in the facility, however.
Beshear said there are 39 medical cannabis businesses opened in the state so far: 11 cultivators, two safety compliance facilities, five processors and 21 dispensaries. Additionally, five more cultivators are expected to open, along with a few more dispensaries.
“Look at us today, with a real alternative to chronic pain, with an alternative to very difficult conditions and prognoses that can give people the relief that they deserve,” Beshear said. “And folks, we now have four straight years of decreases in drug overdose deaths, thank God.”
There are more than 24,000 Kentuckians with medical cannabis cards looking to buy products from companies like Holler, and changes earlier this year restrict cardholders from purchasing in other states.
In June, Beshear expanded the list of qualifying illnesses, allowing more individuals to apply for a card and legally use medical marijuana.
Holler is partially owned by Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council member Hil Boone, who attended Friday’s celebration.
“We are proud to be Kentuckians helping our fellow Kentuckians, and we are proud to be delivering cannabis for the Commonwealth,” Boone said.
