LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) – In more than 50 cities and counties, voters said “yes” to medical cannabis businesses, including 11 in WKYT’s viewing area: Anderson, Bourbon, Clark, Clay, Jackson, Knox, Menifee, Mercer, Morgan, Scott and Woodford.

“Each year we went to Frankfort, we got less no’s than the year before. So we always knew the time would come when the dominoes would fall the rest of the way,” said Kentucky NORML Executive Director Matthew Bratcher.

The Kentucky General Assembly passed a bill legalizing medical marijuana last year. It will be enacted on January 1, 2025.

“I’m not surprised at all that everybody wanted to have a cannabis business in their area.”

But voters still had to decide where the businesses, like cultivators and dispensaries, will open. So, 53 cities and 53 counties let voters decide whether the businesses should be allowed to open in their communities, and it was a yes from all of them.

“With the large cultivation firms, you can see upwards of 100 jobs of more. Processors are going to need lots of people. Dispensaries are going to need a lot of people. These are good jobs with benefits that probably pay a lot more than some of your more entry-level positions. It’s going to be great for our workforce and the communities they’re in.”

The Executive Director of Kentucky NORML, Matthew Bratcher, has been pushing for this change for years.

“We’ve got such a high number of disability cases here in Kentucky, as well as higher rates of cancer and other things. This is going to really help bring some of those numbers down.”

Kentucky has already started distributing licenses to medical cannabis businesses via a lottery system, including Limestone Processing.

“There were 290 people in our category. Only 10 were chosen and we were one. By definition, we’re really lucky and we feel fortunate,” said Gary Hilliard, the co-owner of Limestone Processing.

If you have a qualifying chronic condition, like epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, or post-traumatic stress disorder, you can become a medical cannabis cardholder.

“Get people back on the path to healthiness,” Bratcher said.

Kentucky NORML will host registration fairs in different counties starting in January.

Copyright 2024 WKYT. All rights reserved.

Results are in for most significant races of the 2024 election, with Donald Trump set to return to the White House after being elected the 47th president of the United States.

However, at the state level, winners for several Kentucky House and Senate seats still remain unknown.

Here’s what we know about races that have yet to be called in the commonwealth as of Wednesday afternoon.

Kentucky election results: Get all the results from the 2024 election

Kentucky race results remain unknown after Election Day 2024

Most state races were called by late Tuesday, but winners remain unknown in a handful of House districts, where candidates are separated by as little as 30 votes.

Uncalled districts include:

• District 31, where Republican Susan Tyler Witten leads Democrat Colleen Davis with 50.7% of the vote
• District 38, where Democrat Rachel Roarx leads Republican Carrie Sanders McKeehan with 50.7% of the vote
• District 45, where Democrat Adam Moore leads Republican Thomas Jefferson with 50.3% of the vote
• District 67, where Democrat Matthew Lehman leads Republican Terry Hatton with 50.1% of the vote
• District 88, where Republican Vanessa Grossl leads Democrat Cherlynn Stevenson with 50.5% of the vote

Stevenson conceded to Grossl in a social media post Wednesday.

The winner of District 29 in the Kentucky Senate also remains unknown, with Scott Madon leading among 11 write-in candidates vying to fill the late Sen. Johnnie L. Turner’s seat.

2024 Election: Louisville incumbents keep seats in Kentucky House races

When will Kentucky winners be finalized?

Kentucky Secretary of State spokesperson Michon Lindstrom said the state Board of Elections is working to gather final results for races that have yet to be called.

“The counties have to finalize their results to us by noon on Friday,” Lindstrom stated.

How can Kentucky candidates get a recount, recanvas?

Lindstrom said to receive an automatic recount, a race must fall within 0.5%.

Candidates can also request a recount but have to pay for it if they don’t meet the recount threshold. Costs vary and are set by the court, Lindstrom said.

Races within 1% can qualify for recanvassing, and candidates seeking a recanvas must make a request, Lindstrom said.

The final stretch of the regular season has come for the Kentucky Wildcats.

Kentucky and head coach Mark Stoops have undoubtedly had a very disappointing season by their standards. At 3-6 on the season and 1-6 in the SEC, Kentucky is quite possibly trending for its worst record since Mark Stoops’ first season, when Kentucky finished 2-10 on the year.

They will most likely miss a bowl for the first time since the 2015 season, snapping the streak of eight straight bowl games.

On their second bye week this week, Kentucky gets a ‘get right’ game against Murray State at home before taking the trip to Austin for a showdown with the Texas Longhorns and finishing it off with the Louisville Cardinals at home for the Governor’s Cup.

Two out of the last three opponents are ranked in the first College Football Playoff rankings, one of which will most certainly make the CFP representing the SEC.

Heading into the final month of the season, how are we feeling? What is Kentucky’s record in the final three games?