The City of Bowling Green is ready for the beginning of Kentucky’s medicinal cannabis as commissioners on Tuesday unanimously approved the first reading of an ordinance that creates the city’s licensing process for cannabis cultivator and processor facilities as well as dispensary locations.

“We feel that we need to have something to fall back on,” City Manager Jeff Meisel told commissioners. “We don’t know how the state is going to monitor and enforce (this).”

Kentucky’s medicinal law was signed by Gov. Andy Beshear in April 2023. The law allows those suffering from a variety of different illnesses to obtain cards permitting them to use cannabis products to alleviate suffering.

These illnesses include cancer, PTSD, multiple sclerosis, chronic, severe, intractable or debilitating pain or any other illness that the effects of marijuana are proven to alleviate. Municipalities were given several options under the law. Governments that did not “opt-out” of the law automatically “opted-in” on Jan. 1 of this year.

Under the new ordinance, businesses must apply for a license from the city to operate. Applications come with a $500, non-refundable fee and must be renewed each calendar year. State law requires businesses to receive a state-level license as well.

Licensing in BG will be handled by the city’s Department of Finance, under the ordinance, who may refuse to issue or renew licenses.

“This is really important, so that we do have those local control if they violate state laws, if they violate regulations, if they violate any of our local laws, our zoning, that we can go on with our procedures to revoke those licenses,” Bowling Green City Attorney Hillary Hightower told commissioners.

Currently, Warren County is only set to get one dispensary location. No license applications have so far been received by the city, but there are some on the horizon.

Five licensees are on the way, including the single dispensary and some processing and cultivating units as well. Hightower said without the ordinance in place by the time these facilities fire up, there would be no structure for licensing or enforcement.

“We really need our own local control if this is going to come here,” she said. “The state, I know that they have plans for statewide enforcement, but these are going to be a lot of businesses. They’re going to be very busy.”

Previously, both the city and county amended zoning regulations in advance of the rollout. Under current rules, dispensaries must sit within areas zoned “highway business” and can’t be located less than 1,000 feet from any college, school or day care center. Dispensaries must also sit at least one mile apart from one another.

Hightower said in the lead-up to the ordinance passing, she communicated with other city attorneys across the state, learning what those municipalities were going to do. She said an ordinance put in place in Lexington was “the best one for us.”

“it just kind of set out some basic parameters and … it did provide for license revocation,” Hightower said. “So I wanted to make sure we had that option.”

All together, Hightower thinks the beginnings of medicinal in Kentucky will be “a little bit trial and error.”

“We’ll see over the next couple of years how you know how this transpires,” she said. “Hopefully it (works). If it doesn’t, we’ll be back here amending it to address whatever may need to be addressed.”

Commissioners also recognized the cheerleading teams from Bowling Green Junior and senior High Schools Tuesday night for their wins in state cheerleading competitions in December. BGJHS saw its third win and Bowling Green High saw its fourth victory.

“It’s an honor for our city to recognize excellence,” Mayor Todd Alcott told team members, coaches and commissioners.

The commission’s next meeting is set for Feb. 4.