Missouri launched its first adult-use cannabis sales in February through the state’s existing medical cannabis dispensaries, and now officials plan to accept applications for new microbusiness licenses earlier than initially expected.
The state’s voter-approved adult-use legalization measure mandated that the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) start accepting the applications by September. The state’s timeline has since been updated and the application window for the first round of microbusiness licenses will run from July 27 through Aug. 10, according to a DHSS press release.
The application will be available by June 6 and the DHSS plans to issue six microbusiness licenses in each of Missouri’s eight congressional districts (for a total of 48 microbusiness licenses) through a random lottery drawing scheduled for October.
The licenses are designed for marginalized or under-represented individuals looking to participate in Missouri’s cannabis industry, according to the press release.
There are two types of microbusiness licenses available: dispensary and wholesale. A microbusiness dispensary licensee can sell cannabis to both medical patients and adult-use consumers, while a microbusiness wholesale licensee can cultivate cannabis or manufacture cannabis products for both the medical and adult-use markets.
Of the six microbusiness licenses issued in each congressional district, four will be for wholesale facilities and two will be for dispensaries, according to the press release.
The constitutional amendment that voters approved in the November election to legalize adult-use cannabis in Missouri prohibits applicants from submitting more than one application per licensing lottery, meaning that an individual or entity may only be listed on one application.
