Currently while writing this, it is illegal to sell, smoke, or grow cannabis in the state of Kentucky. Grow 4 or less plants and get caught , $2,500 fine, caught again it is a Class C Felony. There are no regulations for cannabis in Kentucky just yet, let us NOT MAKE THE MISTAKES other states have!!! Let us truly create some form, of "Common Wealth". What's that going to look like in Kentucky?
Here is my own idea of a terrific plan to not just regulate a liable and lively cannabis market but it also respects Kentuckians. There are 120 Counties in this beautiful state. According to a 2021 Population chart for Kentucky, the largest county in Kentucky is Jefferson County, population 777,874. Our smallest county is Robertson County with a population of 2,257.
Each county be permitted a total of 15 cannabis or cannabis educational, and business operations. The county would then hold an open to the public vote on whether they even wanted cannabis relevant operations in their county.
There would be a total of 1,300 licenses available, capped at 380 License that could be issued a month. A person or business/ corporation could only own 3 total license. This is to ensure a equal opportunity for common wealth. Each license would cost no more that 15 times that of the current minimum wage. If you just use the pothead numbers I just threw out, you take 1,300 opportunity's between 120 counties. 10 locations per county and then some. That is not to say I'd see that actually happening. I'm sure there would be a green mile strip where it's a saturations of competitive cannabis businesses. Remember that 1,300 licenses, doesn't mean all those licenses would be exclusively dispensaries, more on that in a bit. You would get permission for your license from the state. The state would have 12 weeks to approve or deny a person a license. The state would regulate what kind of license is issued, as well as when it is issued. The County would regulate approval for cannabis operations in their county. A county could potentially be a strictly grow no store front sells county. The state then knows which counties want what, how many operations are in each county and which license are still available in that county. The applicant is simply providing a business plan, payments per license, and ID , or permission for recreational cultivation permit. Recreational Cultivation permits would run $200. A Care-giver Cultivation Permit would run $1,700. and allow you up to 14 patients and 25 Plants.
These would all be 36 Month license's to be renewed every 3 years. 88% of all license granted must be to Kentucky citizens who has personally lived in the state of Kentucky for at least 7 years prior to the date of application for the license. The 380 license per month is to avoid unbalance in the market. Any license that charges more than 15 times greater than state minimum wage would be considered price gouging. There would need to be a system in place to ensure that half the total license given out are first offered to home grows. With personal grows being allowed up to 12 plants per adult and craft growers being allowed to grow up to 45 plants. There should NOT be any stipulations that would require a craft grower to grow a fixed or minimum amount. We need to ensure that 88% of all cannabis business is owned and ran by locals Kentucky residents. The state would not have any say on how stores acquire their cannabis so long as the cannabis is coming from the state, stores that wish to acquire cannabis from out of state would need to get this approved by the state. This would be because the state would have the proper tools and resources to ensure that the cannabis trades remain in the 88% rule.
I believe Felons with non violent drug charges that have remained out of trouble for a minimum of 8 years since the date of sentencing: should be given first dibs at the license with a $5,000 NO INTEREST Business loan after a successful 3 years of business in cannabis, meaning if they start , own, and operate a cannabis business and remain in business, they have access to the $5,000 business loan with no Interests and given 36 months to pay the $5,000 back should they choose to take the loan. Any Kentucky Owned Business that employs 60% or more felons would be entitled to this same loan.
There would be a law that as soon as the federal government decriminalized cannabis, no county in the state of Kentucky could permit a warrant that results in destruction of company property. Battery rams and explosives would not be permitted to be used in a search warrant to gain entry to any business or company's facility located on Kentucky soil, public & private property. If a cannabis rule or legislation was to be changed it could not take effect till a minimum of 42% of cannabis business ambassadors where in attendance when the ruling is made.
What is a "Cannabis Ambassador"? This would be a term used for the elected person to represent a cannabis company or city rep. This person could either represent a cannabis company, or a cannabis user from a city. Each district would be alloud 8 Cannabis Ambassadors. Ambassador's attend meetings that dictate new or current legislation and procedures when it comes to cannabis business in the state of Kentucky. To become an ambassador you'd pay a 50% Refundable fee, along with ID and documents providing why you'd like to be an ambassador. Are you an avid consumer who wants to represent the consumer in your area, or are you apart of the cannabis industry and want to represent the business owners in your area? The idea behind the Cannabis Ambassadors is to ensure that both mom and pop stores, medical patients, and big corps, are all on the same page and to avoid a large amount of unnecessary DEA raids! The state should not make or change rules, to then destroy property, and livelihoods, with little to no warning. 48 hours is not enough time to re do an entire system.
If Kentucky truly believes in Common Wealth it cannot turns a blind eye to the fact that of Kentucky permits something today, learns something new tomorrow, it's is only HYPOCRITICAL to Punish on the 3rd day, instead of ruthless raids, Kentucky must show respect to new business owners by re meeting and presenting the facts, listening to workers and coming to a mutual compromise. The county's would be responsible for dictating how many license in the county go towards whether its's Retailer License, Manufacture, transportation, cultivation etc.
This is why earlier I say, one persons/business, could not own more than 3 licenses. This would ensure we are relying on each other, no 1 or 3 party's could buy up 1000 out of 1300 and hike the prices up. That's savage, it's evil, it's corporate greed and in no way would that ensure "Common Wealth".
To sum it up, the state would need to pass a bill where rec and medical is approved. Then the counties would vote on whether or not they approve cannabis business or what type of cannabis business would operate in their county. Then the people would begin to apply for their licenses. Given that no license would be more than $108.75 , it would cost me a total of $326.25 along with my business plans for 3 different Licenses, (EX: Craft Cultivation / Cannabis Processing/ Transportation) ,and wait to be approved. You would know what type of licenses you could apply for based on the county you are in. Should one be denied on all 3 license, you'd be refunded $163.25 States would regulate when and how many current license are out there. The balance would be about growers, to sellers.
You would not need a license to simply grow cannabis for personal use, just a permit -but you would need one if you wanted to get your product in a store or sell to the public in some way. Our main goal is to push for Kentucky making profit, but more on a local level. This plan is focusing more on leaning on Kentuckians to rely more on Kentuckians, to avoid "miscommunication" allowing realistic goals, and changes to take place while maintaining respect both for the business owners and operators but also those working in legislation that are going to have to have trials and errors just like every state has.
1,300 Total License available.
240 = Dispensary.
392 = Craft Cultivation
30 = Transportation
41- Tier Management (Includes all Tiers 1-6)
75 - Product Manufacture
25 - Research Facilities
185- Microbusiness
40 - Social Consumption & Delivery
12 - Social Consumption- Cultivation - Delivery and Production
20 - Laboratories
190 - Production & Transportation
45- Cannabis Festival & Event Coordinator & Management
3 - Medical Data / Technical Cannabis Development & Analysts
2- Educator Class-Craft Cultivation & Research
The last 2 I came up with but this would be the License to operate a educational facility to educate with hands on Training with Cannabis, for such things as a Kentucky Cannabis College where students could graduate in the fields of Cannabis, from agriculture to Law degrees. The license would solidify 2 opportunity's for 2 locations for a Cannabis College in Kentucky.
This plan in itself is very raw/un adopted, and still doesn't account for a vast of business taxes, sales taxes etc., but again the point is to provide a blue print perhaps for those who have the power to ensure that everyone has a chance at the green rush. The profits from cannabis have to upgrade the cities it thrives in, not line the pockets of greedy chess players. Let's set the example for the United States and Midwest region at that!
Please feel free to drop a comment below and add to this or bring awareness to why this would work, what would need to change for this to work etc!!
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