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Missouri rolls out medical marijuana applications

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Folks seeking to be involved in Missouri’s budding medical cannabis industry — from patients to cultivators to sellers — can start dotting i’s and crossing t’s as they prepare to submit applications in the coming months.

On Tuesday, the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services’ division dedicated to medical marijuana regulation rolled out the much-anticipated applications for patients, caregivers, facilities, and more.

So far, the rollout has gone quite smooth,” Lyndall Fraker, Director of Medical Marijuana, told The Missouri Times. “We have a great team. I am really proud of how things have gone up to this point and I really appreciate the input from the public. Everyone is working hard, working together to create the best program in the nation.”

The applications may be available to view, but the state will not start accepting them just yet. As laid out in the voter-approved constitutional amendment, the state will begin accepting applications for identification cards on July 4; processing applications on July 5; and accepting testing facility, dispensary, and cultivation applications on August 3, which will be open until August 17.

Those seeking identification cards are required to have a signed physician certification form that is less than 30 days old. The department notes it will only accept the “Physician Certification as an uploaded document to the patient’s application.” Applications for patients, caregivers, and transportation facilities will be accepted in perpetuity. 

DHSS notes they do not “yet have the 4-digit PIN from law enforcement that will be required” to conduction background checks.

Medical marijuana identification cards require a $25 fee. Cultivation facilities require a $10,000 non-refundable application fee and a $25,000 annual fee. Dispensary facilities require a $6,000 non-refundable application fee and a $10,000 annual fee. Medical marijuana-infused manufacturing facilities require a $6,000 non-refundable application fee and a $10,000 annual fee.

As of May 31, 526 nonrefundable pre-filed application fees — 155 for cultivation facilities, 289 for dispensary facilities, and 82 for medical marijuana-infused manufacturing facilities — totaling $3,776,000 have been received by DHSS. Under the rules, licenses will be awarded to 60 cultivation facilities, 192 dispensary facilities, and 86 medical marijuana-infused manufacturing facilities.

Rules for the industry were finalized last week.