CLARK CO., Ky. (WKYT) – Another winner of the state’s medical cannabis license lottery cut the ribbon on their facility Tuesday afternoon.

This time, it was one of the two largest cultivation licensees given out by Kentucky’s Office of Medical Cannabis. The state’s two tier-III cultivators will be able to use up to 25,000 square feet of growing area.

Cresco Labs, which is already operating in eight other states, is located on Fortune Drive in Winchester. When fully operational, it will have up to 100 full-time employees.

Charlie Bachtell, the CEO of Cresco Labs, says the company is prepared to be a part of an emerging statewide industry.

“Part of the benefit we have of the experiences coming in eyes wide open is that there are going to be challenges, there are going to be issues, problem solving is one of the core values of our company,” said Bachtell.

On April 7, Kentucky Auditor Allison Ball announced her office would be launching an investigation into the Office of Medical Cannabis and its execution of the Kentucky Medical Cannabis Program.

“My office has continued to receive complaints about how the Office of Medical Cannabis administered the lottery process for awarding medical cannabis business licenses. Kentuckians should have confidence that state offices operate with transparency and integrity, and my office is committed to ensuring those standards.”

After the ribbon-cutting on Tuesday, Gov. Andy Beshear responded to the auditor’s office’s investigation.

“Every part of the lottery and this program was not only available to the public, but it was put into various regulations or policies that anyone who wants to participate or comment on could,” said Gov. Beshear. “I understand that there are businesses that are disappointed and that’s natural. But we’re having to scale this starting small because we saw what happened with the hemp industry.”

Cresco Labs says they are hoping, with construction permitting, to have product available by the end of 2025.

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