Speakeasy Dispensary set to open medical cannabis location in Lexington
LEXINGTON, Ky. (ABC36 NEWS NOW) — Lexington’s medical cannabis scene is about to get a new addition.
Speakeasy Dispensary is preparing to open its newest medical cannabis location next week in the Hamburg area, marking another step forward in Kentucky’s expanding medical cannabis program. The dispensary is located on Alysheba Way and is set to officially open its doors on Jan. 15, following a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
ABC36 News Now got a first look inside the new space, which is operated by Gold Leaf Management.
Gold Leaf CEO Casey Flippo says creating a connection to the local community was a priority when designing the Lexington location.
“Try to immerse ourselves into the community,” Flippo said. “Every time we put a Speakeasy into a new location, we do some research as to what that location and what that community might be about. Here, obviously, horses, bourbon and basketball.”
The dispensary is housed inside the former Frisch’s restaurant building and features a lobby inspired by Kentucky’s equestrian heritage.
“This one specifically, we kind of went with a jockey club theme,” Flippo said. “The first time I came out here, I spent some time at Keeneland, which everyone knows is one of the most beautiful horse tracks in America. The second I walked in there, I was like, ‘This is it. This is a no-brainer.’”
Flippo says patients visiting Speakeasy for the first time will start with a check-in process to verify eligibility in Kentucky’s medical cannabis program.
“They’ll come directly in, and we’ll verify that they are an active patient within the Kentucky medical program,” Flippo said. “We’ll check them in as a new visitor. We have a couple of documents they’ll need to fill out, just verifying that they are a Kentucky medical patient.”
Once registered, patient profiles are stored in the system, and patients are guided through the next steps.
“They’ll be given a digital order in line to be moved to the back of house,” Flippo said. “Once they go back there, they’ll go with a registered budtender to one of the 10 point-of-sale stations we have available.”
The dispensary features a concealed, high-tech entry that leads into the sales floor, where trained staff work one-on-one with patients to help them navigate the medical cannabis program.
“They’re the ones who go through extensive product training,” Flippo said. “They’re trained on how to ask the right questions, understand patient needs, and then make recommendations based on that.”
While the space offers a unique and polished environment, Flippo emphasized the focus remains on patient care.
“Everybody is going to be a patient,” he said. “This is a medical market, and it’s extremely important to us to treat people with the respect that this is a medical program.”
Flippo says inventory may be limited at first, but the goal is to provide a reliable selection as the dispensary continues to grow in Lexington. He encourages registered patients to arrive early when the dispensary opens on Jan. 15 and notes that discounts will be available.
