By MICHAEL CRIMMINS
Glasgow News 1
On Oct. 28 Kentucky had its first-ever lottery for medical cannabis cultivator and processor. Of the 26 that were awarded, two of them were given to Barren County companies.
KSYKAPP and AJ Alchemy were the two Barren County businesses selected in the lottery. KSYKAPP won a license of a tier III cultivator — meaning they are responsible for “planting, raising, harvesting, trimming and curing” the raw plant material — and AJ Alchemy received a processor license that handles the actual processing and packaging of the material.
The businesses that were selected will have 15 days to pay the associated licensing fee before they receive their licenses.
“All medical cannabis that is cultivated, processed, tested and dispensed will be done so right here in Kentucky,” said Governor Andy Beshear, who attended the lottery drawing on Oct. 28. “Today’s lottery helps ensure those medical cannabis businesses can become operational so that Kentuckians with serious medical conditions can have safe, affordable access to the health care relief and choice they deserve at the soonest possible date.”
At the end of the Oct. 28 meeting of the Glasgow Common Council, April Russell, the city administrator, spoke on the lottery and the two Barren County winners. She said both the cultivator and processor are online companies and that the drawing for dispensaries would be on Oct. 31.
“There will be one processor in Barren County, and there will be one cultivator in Barren County. We will not know until all those fees are paid, and then they will let us know the location of that. The companies are online. I could read them to you but I can’t pronounce them. It looks like they are more just acronyms than anything. They have not drawn for dispensaries yet,” Russell said.
According to the company to a press release from AJ Alchemy Labs, the company plans to begin operations immediately focusing on “producing a variety of medical cannabis products” and distributing them to licensed dispensaries.
“This is an exciting time for us as we embark on this new venture,” a press release from Project Manager John Fay stated. “We look forward to contributing to the health and well-being of Kentuckians through our new medical cannabis offerings. Safety is our top priority, and we are committed to maintaining rigorous testing and compliance with state regulations to ensure our products are safe and effective for all patients. From processing to production to provision, our comprehensive approach ensures the highest quality and care every step of the way.”
Though they are labeled a Barren County winner, they have a Bowling Green address listed as their principal office, according to the secretary of state’s website, and an organization date of July 31, 2024.
The window to apply for a medical cannabis business license was July 1 through Aug. 31 and during that time, the Office of Medical Cannabis received 4,998 applications, of which 918 were cultivator and processor applicants.
Journalist Melinda J. Overstreet contributed to this Glasgow News 1 report.
This article has been updated. The previous publication contained information relating to another company misidentified as AJ Alchemy. The information has been corrected. Glasgow News 1 regrets the error.
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