Northern Kentucky's three counties — Boone, Campbell, and Kenton — each have a different mix of cannabis-related resources. Where you live in NKY meaningfully affects which shops and clinics are most accessible to you. Here's a county-by-county breakdown of what's listed in our directory and what's closest to each area.
Boone County: Florence, Burlington, Union, Erlanger
Boone County has the strongest concentration of cannabis-adjacent resources in NKY, partly because of its interstate access and suburban density, and partly because it's where most of the population growth has happened.
For MMJ card certifications, Boone County residents have the most options: Cannabis Connection Florence and Bluegrass CannaCare are both Florence-based and specialize in Kentucky MMJ certifications. Green Health Docs is technically in Erlanger (Kenton County) but is positioned at the county line and is equally accessible to northern Boone County residents via I-75.
For smoke shops and CBD products, Boone County has the widest selection: VIP Smoke Shop in Francisville (Hebron area) and VIP Smoke Shop Hebron serve the southern county; Blow N Smoke, Mood Smoke Shop, A1 Smoke City, and Your CBD Store / SUNMED are all in Florence. The Florence corridor along Mall Road and US-42 has the highest density of these shops in the entire NKY region.
For Ohio dispensary access, Boone County residents can reach Cincinnati dispensaries via I-75 north in 20–30 minutes, or take I-275 to Queen City Cannabis in Cleves, Ohio — a Hamilton County dispensary that avoids Cincinnati traffic for residents of the western county.
Kenton County: Covington, Fort Mitchell, Erlanger, Independence
Kenton County spans from the urban core in Covington to the more suburban areas of Erlanger and the southern communities. The county's urban-suburban range means the cannabis resource landscape is more varied.
In the northern part of the county (Covington, Newport border area), KY Girl Hemp at the Covington Farmers Market provides a locally-operated hemp product option. Covington's proximity to Cincinnati also means the bridge crossings to Cincinnati dispensaries are among the shortest in NKY — Covington residents can reach Zips on Central Parkway or other Cincinnati-side dispensaries without the bridge congestion that affects some commute routes.
In the Erlanger/Edgewood area, Green Health Docs handles MMJ certifications, and Kentucky Green ReLeaf in Edgewood provides another certification option. VIP Smoke Shop on Buttermilk Pike in Crescent Springs serves the central Kenton County market. Kratom Direct in Elsmere is the county's dedicated kratom retailer.
Campbell County: Newport, Bellevue, Fort Thomas, Alexandria
Campbell County's cannabis-adjacent retail is concentrated in the river towns. 7 Mountains CBD in Newport is the county's dedicated CBD retailer, positioned on the Monmouth Street corridor where it serves both Newport residents and visitors from across the river. Kentucky Botanical Co. in Bellevue is the other Campbell County CBD shop — smaller and more boutique in character, serving the Bellevue and Dayton communities.
Campbell County has no dedicated MMJ certification clinics in our current directory, meaning residents typically travel to Boone or Kenton County for their card evaluation, or use a telehealth service like Leafwell that doesn't require an in-person visit.
For Ohio dispensary access, Campbell County residents have an interesting option: I-471 connects Newport directly to Cincinnati's eastern suburbs, bypassing the Brent Spence Bridge congestion entirely. The several Cincinnati-area dispensaries in our directory are reachable via this route in 20–30 minutes from most Campbell County addresses.
Telehealth and Services Available Everywhere
Leafwell and One Heart Medical offer telehealth MMJ evaluations that work regardless of which NKY county you're in. For patients whose schedules make in-person clinic visits difficult, or who live in areas of Campbell County where the nearest clinic requires a significant drive, the telehealth option removes that barrier entirely. Browse our full directory filtered by city to find the options closest to your specific address.
How to Use This Guide
This guide covers the cannabis-related resources in our NKY directory organized by county. Because Kentucky's medical dispensaries are still opening as of 2025, the practical options for most NKY patients remain Ohio dispensaries across the river. We've also included the smoke shops, CBD retailers, and MMJ card clinics that serve each county, since those resources matter for the full picture of what's accessible near you.
Boone County: Florence, Burlington, Union, Erlanger, Hebron
Boone County's geography — bordered by I-71/75 and with CVG airport as its anchor — gives it the best interstate access in NKY. The I-275 corridor connects Boone County residents to Ohio dispensaries in the Springdale and Blue Ash areas in 20–30 minutes.
Florence specifically has the highest concentration of retail commercial activity in NKY, which means more smoke shops and hemp retailers than any other NKY city. Burlington, as Boone County's seat, has a quieter commercial character but has seen growth in independent retail.
Smoke shops and hemp retailers serving Boone County include VIP Smoke Shop locations in Florence, Smokin' This and That BBQ (Florence), and the national chain retailers scattered along the Mall Road and US-42 corridors. Dedicated CBD retailers with a wellness focus are represented by Your CBD Store/SUNMED.
For MMJ card clinics, Boone County residents have access to telehealth options (Leafwell, NuggMD, Green Health Docs) that serve the entire state, as well as in-person clinics that have opened as Kentucky's program has grown.
Kenton County: Covington, Erlanger, Independence, Fort Wright, Fort Mitchell
Kenton County sits at the geographic center of NKY and includes Covington — the county's largest city and the one most integrated with Cincinnati's Ohio-side activity. The Covington-Cincinnati bridges make Ohio dispensaries particularly accessible for Kenton County residents; Verilife Cincinnati and Sunnyside Norwood are both under 15 minutes from downtown Covington.
Erlanger, in the western part of Kenton County near the airport, has a different commercial character — more utilitarian strip-mall retail. Smoke shops serving Erlanger and Edgewood include Sake Bomb locations (primarily a restaurant, but worth noting) and the standard national-chain smoke shop presence on Dixie Highway.
Fort Wright and Fort Mitchell are residential communities in eastern Kenton County with limited retail of any kind — residents typically access NKY's commercial corridors in Erlanger, Florence, or Covington for hemp and CBD products.
Campbell County: Newport, Bellevue, Dayton, Fort Thomas, Cold Spring, Alexandria
Campbell County has a split character: Newport and the river towns (Bellevue, Dayton) are urban and close to Cincinnati, while Fort Thomas and Cold Spring are affluent suburbs, and Alexandria is the county seat further inland.
Newport has a well-established independent business scene, and the Monmouth Street corridor has historically included tobacco and smoke shops alongside bars and restaurants. Campbell County residents in the river towns are as close to Ohio dispensaries as Covington residents — the AA Highway and I-471 bridge make the connection fast.
Fort Thomas has limited cannabis-adjacent retail but a well-resourced residential base. Residents typically access Florence or Covington for hemp products. Alexandria has a more rural southern Campbell County character — less retail density, longer drives to any specialized retailer.
Ohio Dispensaries Closest to Each County
For Boone County: Ascend Dispensary Springdale (via I-275 west), Your CBD Store Blue Ash, and the Trulieve Milford location are among the most accessible.
For Kenton County: Verilife Cincinnati (downtown), Sunnyside Norwood, and dispensaries along the US-50 and I-71 corridors heading north are the closest options.
For Campbell County: The I-471 bridge and AA Highway put Campbell County residents near the same Ohio-side options as Kenton County, with the added option of routes through Anderson Township and Milford for eastern Campbell County.
What the Directory Covers
Our NKY weedshops directory is focused on businesses within Northern Kentucky itself — the smoke shops, CBD retailers, kratom shops, and MMJ card clinics that are physically located in Boone, Campbell, and Kenton counties. Ohio dispensaries are included in the directory because they serve NKY patients, but the core directory is NKY-based businesses. Browse the full directory to find what's closest to your address, with current hours and contact information for each listing.