(Kentucky Office of Medical Cannabis) Patients suffering a wide range of chronic conditions including cancer, Parkinson’s Disease, arthritis, and PTSD must first receive written certification from their physician to access medical cannabis. “To date, 154 doctors and APRNS have become authorized medical cannabis practitioners and that number is growing steadily each week," Gov. Andy Beshear said during a news conference Thursday. Also on Dec. 1, the state will launch an online directory of medical cannabis practitioners on the Office of Medical Cannabis website. The portal featuring approved physicians will be searchable by location and specialty, and will be updated as more health care providers become certified to prescribe medical cannabis. Medical cannabis will become legal in Kentucky on Jan. 1, but patients won’t be able to access the drug that quickly. Spring or summer is a more likely start time. Availability will also depend on how soon dispensaries can be inspected before starting operations. On Monday, Nov. 25, the state will hold the first of two random drawings for dispensary licenses. There are 48 of those licenses available across the state's 11 licensing regions, which is a small number compared to the list of applicants. “Over 4,000 applicants applied for a dispensary license," Beshear said. "Dispensary applications represent over 80% of the total applications we received.” Monday's lottery is for nine of the 11 regions: Northeast, South Central, Cumberland, Mountain, Pennyrile, West Kentucky, Lincoln Trail, Northern Kentucky, and Green River. The final dispensary license drawing will be held on Dec.16 for the Kentuckiana and Bluegrass regions that include Jefferson and Fayette counties. All of the lotteries are being held by the Kentucky Lottery Corporation and lived streamed on the Office of Medical Cannabis’ YouTube Channel​. So far, 29 licenses have been approved for cultivators, processors, and testing labs. Copyright 2024 WKU Public Radio