What To Know About Louisville's Proposed Medical Marijuana Zoning Regulations

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Louisville's Office of Planning and Design Services are proposing guidelines for where medical marijuana facilities should be located in Jefferson County. The proposed regulations are more restrictive than state law, which only requires operations to be at least 1,000 feet from a school or daycare. They're similar to how Louisville already regulates smoke shops and tobacco retailers.

The Planning Commission approved the zoning rules late last month. It's now up to Metro Council to decide on any amendments to the proposal and take a final vote.

Interim Planning Director Brian Davis said the city is sprinting to get regulations for medical marijuana facilities in place before July 1, when Kentucky will open its application portal for a limited number of state licenses. Interested entrepreneurs will have to propose a location for their facility.

"This has been one of those interesting 'wait, wait, now go' situations," Davis said. "A lot of counties and communities across the state right now are trying to figure out exactly how they would like to tailor it at the local level."

Davis said city planners looked at existing regulations in similarly sized cities, such as Cincinnati and Columbus. The proposed structure creates different rules for different types of facilities.

Under state law, licenses will be handed out for four different types of establishments: cultivators, where medical marijuana is grown and harvested; processors, where raw plant material is processed and packaged; safety compliance facilities, responsible for contamination and purity testing; and retail dispensaries.

Kentucky will award licenses through a lottery. Only two medical marijuana dispensaries will be located in Louisville during the rollout of the program.