(LEX 18) — Kentucky awarded its final dispensary business licenses 15 days before the state’s medical marijuana program goes live.

Gov. Andy Beshear and the Office of Medical Cannabis announced dispensary business license winners for Jefferson and Fayette counties and the Bluegrass and Kentuckiana regions at the lottery headquarters in Louisville. Three weeks ago, licenses were awarded for most other counties in Kentucky.

In October, licenses were awarded to cultivators and processors. The reason those licenses were selected first was to give the businesses some extra time before the medical marijuana program goes live on Jan. 1, 2025. However, Beshear warns that supply may be limited in the early weeks of the program.

“It’s my hope that we’ll see it in Q1 of next year – product on the shelf,” said Beshear.

“Certainly, it’s going to take a little bit of time to ultimately get the dispensaries open and to get that product there,” he added.

Part of Kentucky’s program requires all products to be grown in the Commonwealth. So, is there a product currently being grown? The governor’s answer was unclear.

“There’s an ability to bring in seedlings, which is going to help it be grown faster in Kentucky,” he said. “Certainly, our cultivators have been licensed now – for what – about a month, and I know are working as quickly as they can towards that. And there’s at least one cultivator that was Kentucky-based before any and all of this.”

Beshear emphasized that Kentucky is still currently ahead of its original schedule. The initial law that created the medical marijuana program did not allow the state to even take business applications until Jan. 1, 2025.

There has been some criticism over Kentucky’s method of selecting businesses for licenses. Many of the selected companies are owned by out-of-state groups and some local businesses have questioned why current Kentucky businesses were not prioritized.

Sam Flynn, the executive director of the Kentucky Office of Medical Marijuana, defended the state’s lottery system, calling it the “most fair and transparent” way to provide licenses given the limited number available.

Beshear added that he gets the criticisms. He said the lottery system is the state’s way to avoid lawsuits. He said other states’ medical marijuana programs have been delayed due to lawsuits. That’s something Kentucky wanted to avoid.

“We set up this process with the patient in mind, believing that they should be able to get their medical cannabis as quickly as they can,” said Beshear.

Fixing the offensive line is priority No. 1 for Kentucky in the transfer portal, but it’s far from the Wildcats’ only need in free agency. We’ve heard about a high-profile running back target and a few wide receiver visitors, but all was quiet on the quarterback front. That changed on Monday.

Mark Stoops believes in Cutter Boley long term but going into a season with only three freshmen in the quarterback room is not a good idea. The Kentucky head coach said at his Signing Day press conference that the Wildcats will pursue a quarterback in the transfer portal. Today we learned about two players who could fill that need.

Maalik Murphy

Maalik Murphy was a Top-200 talent who got passed over at Texas by Arch Manning. He started in two games for the Longhorns with Quinn Ewers sidelined by injury in 2023, completing 40-71 passes for 477 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions.

Without a viable future in Austin, Murphy made the move to Durham to kick-start the Manny Diaz tenure at Duke. With Murphy under center, Duke beat Florida State for the first time in school history and secured a big win on the road at NC State en route to a 9-3 record. It’s just the fourth 9-win season at Duke since 1941.

Murphy completed 60.3% of his passes for 2,933 yards and 26 touchdowns. He was not a running factor, but did punch it into the end zone for two scores. Ball security was an issue for Murphy. He led the ACC in interceptions with 12.

Zack Geoghegan confirmed reports that Murphy is expected to visit Kentucky today.

Zach Calzada

It’s a familiar name for SEC football fans. Zach Calzada‘s career began at Texas A&M. The redshirt freshman was called into action when Haynes King broke his leg in week two. He threw a game-winning touchdown against Colorado to build some early confidence. Within a few weeks, he was playing his best against the best. Calzada completed 21-31 passes for 285 yards and three touchdowns to help Texas A&M topple No. 1 Alabama, the final bright spot of the Jimbo Fisher era. Calzada completed just over 56% of his passes for 2,185 yards, 17 touchdowns,, and 9 interceptions.

Calzada transferred to Auburn for Bryan Harsin’s second and final season. The quarterback did not play before undergoing offseason shoulder surgery. That’s when Calzada hit the portal again, this time dropping down to the FCS ranks.

For the last two years, Calzada has been running and gunning at Incarnate Word. In 2023 he tallied 2,598 yards and 19 touchdowns. This fall he ranked second in the FCS in passing touchdowns (35) and passing yards (3,791) with nine interceptions. Incarnate Word’s season ended with a loss to San Diego State in the quarterfinals of the FCS Playoffs.

Sources indicate that Calzada will be a transfer portal target for the Kentucky football program in the coming days and weeks. He officially entered the portal on Monday morning.

Want more Kentucky football recruiting intel? Join KSR Plus for the most comprehensive coverage of the Cats on the internet. With a KSR membership, you get access to bonus content and KSBoard, KSR’s message board, to chat with fellow Cats fans and get exclusive scoop.

Kentucky’s federal delegation will be in a position to heavily influence national laws and regulations when legislators return to the Capitol in January.

Several U.S. representatives and senators from the Bluegrass State are in line for key roles on high-profile committees, giving them an opportunity to shape policy on health care, national security and other issues once President-elect Donald Trump retakes the White House on Jan. 20.

Here’s a quick breakdown of Kentucky lawmakers who have already been tapped to lead committees next year.

Rep. James Comer

Rep. James Comer, who’s been in office since 2017 representing Kentucky’s 1^st Congressional District, will remain in his role as chairman of the House Oversight Committee.

In a statement Tuesday, the Monroe County native and former Kentucky agriculture commissioner said fellow Republicans on the committee plan to work to “clean up the federal government.”

“We will actively work with President Trump and his administration to hold the federal bureaucracy accountable and ensure taxpayer dollars are spent wisely,” the statement said. “We will advance solutions to make the federal government more efficient, effective, transparent, and accountable to the American people.”

The House Oversight Committee is the chamber’s leading investigative body. Comer took over as the committee’s chairman at the start of 2023. He used the post to open investigations into Hunter Biden, the son of outgoing Democratic President Joe Biden, as well as the origins of the COVID-19 virus and, more recently, a July testimony from then-Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle over the attempted assassination of Trump at a campaign rally over the summer. Cheatle would resign a day later.

Rep. Brett Guthrie

Rep. Brett Guthrie, who represents Western Kentucky’s 2^nd Congressional District, has been tapped to lead the influential House Energy and Commerce Committee.

The board has “the broadest jurisdiction of any congressional authorizing committee,” its web page boasts, and takes up matters concerning consumer protection, food and drug safety, public health, the environment, energy and other topics concerning the economy and telecommunications.

In a social media post, Guthrie said he is “honored” to land the post and is excited to work with other Republican leaders to “deliver on our America First agenda.”

“Together we will restore America’s energy dominance and lower household energy prices, beat China, protect our children online, and lower health care costs for hard-working Americans and their families,” he wrote.

Sen. Mitch McConnell

Sen. Mitch McConnell will no longer serve as the GOP’s Senate leader — making him “free at last,” he joked at an October forum in Louisville.

Still, the seven-term senator said he expects to wield some influence with the party. He’s been picked as chairman of the Senate Rules Committee, which sets standards for conducting business in the chamber. He’ll also serve as chair of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense.

In public remarks, McConnell has made it clear he believes the U.S. needs to support its international allies and be aggressive against nations that pose a threat to the country.

Sen. Rand Paul

Sen. Rand Paul, who’s been in office since 2011 and won’t be back on the ballot until 2028, will lead the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, the chamber’s top oversight committee.

Paul’s committee works to make government efficient and effective and studies relationships the federal government has with both state and local governments, along with international organizations. It also oversees matters concerning the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. He’s previously been a member of the committee but has not served as its chair.

Paul has said his top initial priority is acting on Trump’s immigration plans and reintroducing policies the U.S. followed during the former president’s first term, along with confirming Trump’s nominee for Homeland Security secretary, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem.

He’s also pledged to continue “the storied history of this Committee’s leadership in consequential bipartisan oversight and investigations,” including a probe into the origins of the coronavirus pandemic. The senator has had several contentious exchanges in congressional hearings with Dr. Anthony Fauci, who led the National Institutes of Health during the onset of the pandemic.

Other notes

• Rep. Andy Barr, a Republican who represents Central Kentucky’s 6^th Congressional District, was believed to be a frontrunner to serve as chair of the influential House Financial Services Committee, according to Axios, but Arkansas Rep. French Hill was given the position.
• Rep. Hal Rogers, an Eastern Kentucky Republican representing the 5^th Congressional District since 1981, will stay on the House Appropriations Committee as a senior member.
• Rep. Thomas Massie, a Northern Kentucky Republican who represents the 4^th Congressional District, was mentioned after the election as a potential Secretary of Agriculture candidate, but America First Policy Institute President and CEO Brooke Rollins, a longtime Trump ally, has been named as the presumptive nominee for that role.
• Rep. Morgan McGarvey, Kentucky’s lone Democrat in Congress and Louisville’s 3^rd Congressional District representative, will serve as vice chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, where he said he hopes to “push back against an increasingly extreme Republican majority.” McGarvey is entering his second term in the House.

Reach Lucas Aulbach at laulbach@courier-journal.com.