December/30/2019
On December 26, the Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) issued for the cultivation of medical marijuana.
According to a local KRCG report, 500 applicants submitted their applications to the state. The blind process method was used to review the applications and award them points. The process consisted of 17 worksheets describing organization plans, facility details, security measures, and other requirements, as highlighted in the program rules.
The applicants who have been granted the license have a grace period of five days to accept the offer, while those who were not issued with the permits are now exploring other avenues to participate in the emerging marijuana market. Such companies include Real Cannabis Co., based in St. Louis, which out of the 500 applicants, it was ranked at 100.
Speaking to Cannabis Business Times, the Co-founder and CEO of Real Cannabis Co., Derek Mays said that at the moment, they are not sure of the specific scoring of each company at each category, but they are optimistic of being awarded the manufacturing and dispensary licenses. Mays also added and said that going forward, they will be exploring all options through which they can participate in the cannabis sector.
Currently, the Real Cannabis Co. is waiting to see which category of licenses they will be awarded before advancing on to other options.
Mays further said that they will be reviewing why the state scored their company lowers as they believe that they are better positioned and that their cultivation facility is much better than some of the other 35 teams who were awarded growers permits, especially when you look at the Real Cannabis Co. employees collective experience, investor support and the quality of their cultivation facility.
On December 6, 2019, Mays had an interview with Cannabis Business Times, where he said that if his company is not issued a cultivation permit, they are ready to buy a cultivation license from one of the winners.
He further said that they would approach some of those growers who have changed their minds about possessing the permit in Missouri.
Mays is a lawyer, and to ensure that the process was fair and that they were fairly scored, he would evaluate the licensing awarding protocols and evaluate their options. And once they are appeased that everything was not biased in any way, they will look for other opportunities in other states.
According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch report, the California family has filed a lawsuit against the state in the Cole Country Circuit Court after they were not awarded the cultivation permit. Callicoat family is based in Sarcoxie, and in the lawsuit, they argued that the license could violate the constitutional rights of “Right to Farm.” They also challenged the state on geographical bonuses of which applicants from areas with high rates of unemployment. The lawsuit seeks to abolish the licensing limit, terming it unconstitutional and asks the court to issue a cultivation license to the family.
Licensing for the manufacturers and dispensaries is scheduled to take place next month, reported KSBH. Earlier this month, the DHSS announced the winners of the ten medical marijuana testing laboratories in Missouri.
As of December 23, 2019, there were 25,455 registered patients and 666 caregivers in the state of Missouri, reported the news outlet. And the dispensaries would be open to the patients as of April of 2020.
