How will medical marijuana impact the region?

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (WBKO) – On Monday, October 28, 26 applicants received licenses to grow and process medical cannabis in Kentucky.

With the Dec. 16 drawing for the 48 dispensary licenses just weeks away, excitement is beginning to grow about what impact this will have on the Commonwealth.

When it comes to growing and selling marijuana, there are more jobs than in the average garden.

“So with cultivators, that’s the grow house. It’s all indoors, so there will be jobs there for growing, processing, pruning and everything that needs to be done with the plant itself,” said Lauren Bratcher, deputy director of Kentucky NORML. “Then when it goes to the processor, it is either packaged or converted into an extract or concentrate, depending on what is ordered from the stores themselves.”

Bratcher said Warren County will have two large farmers and two processors.

“Bowling Green will have a second and third tier. So in Warren County alone we’re looking at 200, maybe 300 jobs. Then Barren County will probably get about 150, maybe 200, it just depends. It will also grow as demand increases.”

Bratcher emphasized that taxing medical marijuana is very different from taxing recreational marijuana.

“The only thing that people also need to be clear about is that for medical purposes (marijuana) there is no tax on the patient. This occurs in a recreational market, thereby reducing costs for the medical patient. The revenue does not come from the patients, they just pay for their product. Tax money comes from the businesses, the jobs and all the taxes they pay to operate in their communities.”

Bratcher also discussed the social benefits the rollout could have for the community, citing statistics available on the Kentucky NORML website.

“There are other research articles that say crime is going down, opioid abuse rates are going down, alcohol abuse rates are going down. Teen use is not increasing in any medical condition, it is actually decreasing because it is regulated and charted.”

Realtor site Clever found that in cities where marijuana dispensaries allow retail, home values increased by over $20,000.