LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The Beshear administration is asking the Kentucky General Assembly to add 16 medical conditions to the state’s medical cannabis program’s list of qualifying medical conditions.

If legislation is passed, approximately 430,000 additional Kentuckians could qualify for treatment and bring the total qualifying conditions from six to 22, according to Beshear.

The Office of Medical Cannabis sent a letter to legislative leadership Thursday recommending the expansion during the 2026 regular session. 

The proposed additions include Crohn’s disease, arthritis, Parkinson’s disease, ALS, HIV, fibromyalgia, glaucoma, sickle cell anemia and other terminal illnesses.

“In most other states that have a medical marijuana program, these are conditions that are covered, and they are conditions that our board of physicians and advisors have recommended as proper,” Beshear said at a news conference Thursday.

The decision now rests with the Republican-majority General Assembly. A spokesperson for Senate Republicans said they are not commenting on the proposal at this time.

Over 18,500 Kentuckians currently hold approved medical cannabis cards, and there is 510 registered practitioners, Beshear said.

Dr. Jeremy Haysley, an anesthesiologist and certified medical cannabis practitioner who can approve patients for cards, said the expansion is necessary and could provide alternatives to opioid treatment.

“I’m very excited that Gov. Beshear is advocating for these patients and hopefully the general assembly will follow,” Haysley said.

He emphasized the benefits for who struggle with malnutrition as a symptom of their diagnosis. 

“The appetite stimulation medical cannabis can provide can certainly change a lot of the ways these patients are being treated and help them out significantly,” Haysley said.

He said the expansion could also address patients currently reliant on opioids. 

“Obviously diagnoses like chronic pain, these patients have been on chronic opioid conditions and suffer the side effects, whether it’s the constipation, or even including addiction,” Haysley said.

Haysley said some patients with the proposed conditions already qualify under existing diagnoses like chronic pain or chronic nausea. 

“We see patients already that have these diagnoses but also the qualifying conditions,” Haysley said. “For Crohn’s: Chronic abdominal pain, chronic nausea, things like that, already get them access to medical cannabis.”

He said he frequently receives calls from patients who don’t qualify under current rules. 

“Other states have diagnoses such as glaucoma, depression, other mental health diagnoses that Kentucky doesn’t have yet,” he said.

Haysley noted the mental health benefits for terminally ill patients using cannabis. 

“There’s a huge mental health component of these terminal diagnoses that these patients have to face every day and access to medical cannabis can certainly help in their treatment course.”

Kentucky’s medical cannabis infrastructure now includes five cultivators, two safety compliance facilities, one processor and seven dispensaries, with additional facilities scheduled for inspection this month.