WINCHESTER, Ky. — A Kentucky cannabis cultivator is harvesting its first plants for the state’s medical cannabis program.

Cresco Labs in Winchester has reached its first milestone as a cannabis cultivation facility in central Kentucky.

Micky Sweeney, the facility’s technical cultivation director, said the team examines and grows each plant from adolescence to full flower, focusing on cannabinoids and medicinal effects that may help with different ailments.

“Here is going to be sativa dominant, and it is going to provide an uplifting feel, maybe, you know, stress relief. energy, appetite,”

As of Tuesday, Cresco said it had harvested more than 1,300 plants expected to yield up to 200,000 grams of flower, which is roughly 440 pounds.

“Essentially, after harvest, when the plants are at maturation, they are cut down, they are brought into this room to hang dry and cure for about 10 to 14 days.”

Peyton Brennock, vice president of national sales for Cresco Labs, said the company is excited to support medical cannabis growth in newer states like Kentucky.

But he said the issue is also personal, because medical cannabis helped him in his own life.

“I had a traumatic brain injury when I was in high school. and so medical cannabis was able to help me get through college, get on a professional career track, and be where I am today,” Brennock said.

While the plant helped Brennock, Rocky Adkins, Gov. Andy Beshear’s senior adviser, said it was not an option at the time for patients like him. Adkins is a 31-year cancer survivor.

“It took me looking at the research and understanding. Is this really what everybody says it is? And the more I studied, the more I believed. And that’s the reason I brought it to the House floor,” Adkins said. “Those times I brought it, talked about it in a way that proved medicine really works for patients that need it.”

On Tuesday, he joined Cresco Labs leaders, staff and others to mark the milestone.

Sweeney said the company’s goal is to keep building momentum.

“Bringing something out of the dark ages and into the light is quite a process, and it’s slow, and it’s cultural, to be quite honest,” he explained. “Each state has its own culture and relationship with the plant. and a starting point. We are developing and helping every culture that we step into grow with the plants.”

Cresco Labs said it has 30,000 product units across 15 strains that will be processed for production and sales.