Medical marijuana is now legal in Kentucky, but it likely won’t be available anytime soon, Adi Schanie reports for WDRB. That’s because state law requires medical marijuana to be grown, processed and sold within the state and all of that takes time, Schanie reports. “Cultivators still need to build infrastructure and pass inspections before they can begin growing cannabis. While growers are allowed to use seedlings to speed up production, the plants still take months to mature,” Schanie writes. Gov. Andy Beshear has said he hopes to see products available early next year. But hemp farmers told WDRB News that they expect it to be much longer than that. In the meantime, Kentuckians can continue to purchase up to 8 ounces of medical marijuana from states where it is legal if they have proof of a qualifying medical condition and retain a receipt from their purchase, Schanie reports. That said, WDRB reports that this solution comes with some risks when traveling across state lines in states where it remains illegal. Another complexity to the state’s medical marijuana program is that according to federal law it’s illegal to own a firearm and use marijuana at the same time, Schanie reports. When asked if medical marijuana usage is protected under HIPPA, the Cabinet for Health and Family Services told WDRB in a statement, “HIPAA is a federal law that protects patient medical records and their contents in certain contexts. Kentucky law provides for the confidentiality of patient information provided to the Office of Medical Cannabis for purposes of applying for or renewing a digital registry identification card under KRS Chapter 218B.” Tags: medical cannabis medical marijuana The post WDRB gives update on medical marijuana in Kentucky, which is now legal, but not yet available appeared first on The Lexington Times.