Deborah Wisdom, a Latonia retiree, has gone through a remarkable transformation in recent years.
She once claimed that her chronic pain had forced her to stay in bed.
“My body aches all over. “I’ve broken my back, legs, ankles, and feet,” Wisdom explained. “I just lived upstairs in my bedroom and came down maybe to eat a meal, but that was it.”
Wisdom was prescribed medical cannabis as a treatment, and it transformed her life.
“Now I can spend time with my grandchildren.” I don’t get tired,” she explained. “It just completely changed my world. It actually did. “I am a much better wife, mother, and grandmother.”
Having been afforded a new lease on life, Wisdom picked up a part-time job at Kroger to pass the time. She credits medical marijuana as the source of her progress.
“(Without it), I would be very sad,” Wisdom said. “That would mean that I would have to go back to taking more and more medication.”
Wisdom is a patient at One Heart Medical, which is owned by Dr. James Weeks. It operates in both Cincinnati and Fort Wright, Kentucky.
“There’s some enthusiasm, for sure,” Weeks said, describing the Commonwealth rollout thus far. “It’s kind of a breath of fresh air, that (patients) are actually able to access it, and they’ve been waiting for that.”
As medical marijuana becomes available in Kentucky, here’s why it’s so important to those who use it. Weeks said his practice has seen about 50 patients since December, with the majority of them seeking treatment for chronic pain and cancer.
“We’ve seen some patients also with neurological conditions,” according to him. “And, a couple people with epilepsy.”
According to the Kentucky Cannabis Industry Alliance (KCIA), over 5,200 medical marijuana cards have been distributed throughout the Commonwealth.
“We’re still a few months away from having dispensaries have product for patients,” said Rachel Roberts, executive director of KCIA. “Licensees are procuring their locations, they’re building out their facilities, they’re starting to plant product.”
48 dispensaries in 11 Kentucky regions have received operating licenses.
Out of 334 eligible applications in Northern Kentucky, the following four were selected:
- Yellow Flowers, LLC in Erlanger (Kenton County)
- Nicole Tirella in Alexandria (Campbell County)
- Bluegrass Cannacare, LLC in Florence (Boone County)
- Green Grass Cannabis, LLC in Erlanger (Kenton County)
“If we continue at (this) rate, then I think we’re gonna look at tens of thousands of patients in the state of Kentucky,” said Roberts. The Office of Medical Cannabis website now hosts an application portal for those interested in becoming medical marijuana cardholders.
Starting December 1, applicants could see authorized doctors for written certifications for the cards. This step must be completed by patients before applying for a medical marijuana card. Becoming a cardholder also incurs a one-time $25 fee.
Kentucky officials previously stated that the approval process for medical marijuana cards could take several days.
Roberts predicted that the first dispensaries in the Commonwealth would open by mid-to-late summer.
