The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) has announced their licensing plans for marijuana microbusinesses.
When voters approved Amendment 3 in November, 2022, they tasked the DHSS with creating a lottery process for granting a limited number of new small business licenses called “microbusinesses.” Microbusinesses are marijuana facility licenses issued only to eligible entities and individuals, and are designed to allow marginalized or under-represented individuals to participate in the legal marijuana market.
There are two types of microbusiness licenses: dispensary and wholesale. A microbusiness dispensary facility is licensed to engage in the process of dispensing marijuana product for medical or adult use. A microbusiness wholesale facility is licensed to engage in the process of cultivating and/or manufacturing marijuana product for medical or adult use.
The constitution requires DHSS to begin accepting microbusiness applications by September, but in order to better serve microbusiness applicants in this new process, DHSS will begin accepting applications early: the application window for the first round of microbusiness licenses will be July 27 – August 10, 2023. Application forms and instructions will be available by June 6.
According to a press release from DHSS, in October they will issue, via random lottery drawing, six microbusiness licenses in each of the eight Missouri congressional districts, for a total of 48 microbusiness licenses. Of the six in each district, two will be microbusiness dispensaries, and four will be wholesale facilities.
The constitution prohibits submission of more than one application per drawing. Therefore, an individual or entity may only be listed on one application, regardless of the amount of ownership interests. This limitation ensures everyone who applies has an equal chance at a microbusiness license.
To ensure the integrity of the random drawing, the Missouri Lottery will conduct the drawing without reference to the identities of the applicants using certified software to produce random results.
For more information about microbusiness licensing and application requirements, visit Cannabis.Mo.Gov.
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