LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) – Central Kentucky now has its first medical cannabis dispensary after the Speakeasy Dispensary opened Thursday morning in Hamburg.

The dispensary opened at 10 a.m. but was met with a large line of customers, some arriving as early as 5 a.m. despite cold temperatures.

“It’s the field of dreams model. You build it and hope that they’ll come,” said Casey Flippo, manager of Speakeasy Dispensary.

Patients gain access to alternative medicine

Rachel Roberts, who is part of the Kentucky Cannabis Industry Alliance and was the dispensary’s first customer, said the opening marks a significant milestone for patients.

“It’s amazing that patients finally have the medicine they’ve been asking for, for so long,” Roberts said.

Speakeasy bud tenders are ready to help patients get products based on their health needs. Flippo said the dispensary offers a healthy alternative to pharmaceutical applications in a state leading the nation in opioid epidemic cases.

The state has determined qualifying conditions including cancer, chronic pain, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis and other ailments.

“I suffer chronic migraine, which is part of what my diagnosis is for. With chronic migraine comes nausea and sometimes the inability to sleep so medicines like this can be helpful,” Roberts said.

Product variety to expand in February

Currently, only products from the flower of the plant are sold. Flippo said by February customers can expect more product variety, including edibles and topicals.

“People commute for their wellbeing and that’s one thing we take extremely seriously. That’s why we take so much attention into the actual patient care and making sure that when they leave here, if they have an hour commute home, they’re leaving with exactly what they need,” Flippo said.

Roberts noted the quick timeline from licensing to opening.

“It’s really remarkable that just a year from people getting their licenses that these guys are up and running,” Roberts said.

The state says thousands of Kentuckians have their medical cannabis license, which is required to shop at Speakeasy Dispensary. The dispensary is open seven days a week and is located in the former Frisch’s Big Boy on Alysheba Way.

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