- NatureMed officially opens its Erlanger dispensary on June 5, making it the second medical cannabis retailer in Northern Kentucky and the only one in Kenton County.
- The dispensary offers cannabis flower, edibles, vaporizers and concentrates to patients with qualifying medical conditions and state-issued medical cannabis cards.
- Company leaders say patient education and community engagement are priorities as NatureMed expands its Kentucky footprint with additional locations planned in Carrollton and Murray.
The second medical cannabis dispensary in Northern Kentucky is set to open nearly two years after it won a business license through the statewide lottery system.
NatureMed, a multi-state cannabis retailer, will open its Erlanger dispensary at 635 Donaldson Hwy on Friday, June 5. It is the only medical cannabis dispensary in Kenton County.
As a company, NatureMed now has two dispensaries open within Kentucky–Paducah and Erlanger–with two others on the way in Carrollton and Murray. NatureMed opened its first dispensary in Tucson, Arizona, in 2011 and has since expanded into Missouri, operating two in the St. Louis region and one in Kansas City.
Inside, NatureMed mirrors the familiar experience of visiting other cannabis dispensaries. Customers must sign in with the receptionist at the front desk while their identification and physician-authorized medical card are verified. After that, the customer is escorted through a locked door into a waiting room that closely resembles many doctors’ and dentists’ offices.
NatureMed Marketing Manager Kyra Derington told LINK nky that the educational displays, product showcases and consultation areas are intended to make patients more at ease when talking about cannabis as medicine.
Under Kentucky state law, only patients with qualifying debilitating conditions may purchase medical cannabis. Qualifying conditions include cancer, chronic severe pain, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, chronic nausea and post-traumatic stress disorder. To access medical cannabis, a patient must have written permission from a medical doctor or an advanced nurse practitioner, along with a state identification card.
When customers enter the retail showroom, they are greeted by budtenders behind the counter who assist them in exploring the dispensary’s array of products. NatureMed sells cannabis flower, edibles, vapors and concentrates, as well as other cannabis accessories like rolling trays.
“Cannabis, in my opinion, is a lot about connection in its basic form,” Derington said. “When you’re shopping for a medicine that you need to help you, you want to be able to connect with the person serving you, and so something that this space allows us to do is walk our customers through and be able to have those real connections and conversations about something that is a little more taboo.”
The building was previously home to Peecox Bar & Grill, which closed in early 2025. The property is owned by Union KY Management LLC, an entity affiliated with NatureMed CEO Dan Woodward. Since May, the store has been operating in a soft opening phase, with managers concentrating on training budtenders and familiarizing customers with NatureMed’s protocols.
Derington said that the launch process was time-consuming, but the work was ultimately worth it to bring medical cannabis access to Erlanger.
“It’s a cool moment,” she said. “It’s a big moment, and it’s the first step into the community, which is really neat, so it’s nice to be here and just meet everybody,” she said.
NatureMed General Manager Erika Adams said she is overseeing a team of four. So far, her focus has been on mentoring the staff.
“I’m excited for the patients to be able to trust my team,” Adams said. “It’s nice to see the patients come in and be able to tell us what’s going on, and trust that we can help their ailment.”
In addition, NatureMed will eventually have a drive-thru window for familiar customers.
“It’s currently not operational, just because we’re building our patient base, and a first-time patient, legally, cannot come through the drive-thru,” Derington said.
Months earlier, Florence-based Bluegrass Cannacare became the first medical cannabis dispensary to open in Northern Kentucky. Like NatureMed, the dispensary faced a tumultuous path to opening due to supply issues.
