The Kenton County Planning Commission approved zoning regulations for medical cannabis businesses in Elsmere this week.
The commission cast a unanimous vote for the zoning regulations on Tuesday. The zoning amendment will now be returned to the city council for two public readings and a vote.
The legalization of medical cannabis in Kentucky came about on March 31, 2023, when Gov. Andy Beshear signed Senate Bill 47 into law. The law, which takes effect on Jan. 1, 2025, enabled the regulation of medical marijuana statewide and established the administration of such regulation under the Cabinet for Health and Family Services and the newly-established Kentucky Medical Cannabis Program.
The law established five kinds of allowable facilities: cultivating centers where the cannabis would be grown, processing facilities where the plants are refined for medical use, hybrid facilities where both cultivation and processing would take place, dispensaries and safety facilities where products are tested to ensure they’re safe to use.
Like many other cities in the region, Elsmere put the issue to a vote on the November general election ballot, where nearly 75% of Elsmere voters cast votes in favor of allowing medical cannabis businesses.
The zoning change would allow for the establishment and operation of cannabis cultivation, processing, producing and safety compliance facilities as permitted uses within the city’s flex industrial and general industrial zones. Dispensaries, on the other hand, would be allowed within Elsmere’s neighborhood commercial zones. Businesses cannot be established within 1,000 feet of a school or daycare center.
The Elsmere City Council will vote to finalize the zoning recommendation from the commission in the coming weeks.