DHSS announces timing for medical marijuana facility license issuance
JEFFERSON CITY, MO – The Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) Section for Medical Marijuana Regulation will begin issuing medical marijuana facility licenses before the end of the year.
In order to give all potential applicants sufficient notice of when to expect notification of application determinations, DHSS is announcing tentative dates of license issuance for all facility types.
Medical marijuana facility license issuance is expected to occur on the following schedule:
- Testing facilities: approximately December 19, 2019
- Transportation facilities: approximately December 23, 2019
- Cultivation facilities: approximately December 26, 2019
- Infused Products Manufacturing facilities: approximately January 10, 2020
- Dispensary facilities: approximately January 24, 2020
- Seed to Sale: January 31, 2020
Per Article XIV, the Department will continue to receive and process applications for Transportation and Seed to Sale indefinitely.
The Department will announce license issuance via press release and on its website. The Department will also notify licensees of their application approval via email to at least two individuals identified in the application, including the applicant’s listed primary contact. All applicants are advised to monitor the email address of their primary contact on and around the applicable dates listed above.
“We look forward to working with all licensed entities as we begin to build a safe and compliant medical marijuana industry in Missouri,” said Lyndall Fraker, director of the Section for Medical Marijuana Regulation.
Pursuant to the Department’s rules, each facility application must be approved or denied within 150 days of the date on which the application was considered complete. Rule 19 CSR 30-95.040(1)(B)(4) explains how and when an application will be considered complete for Cultivation, Manufacturing, Dispensary, and Testing facilities. The same requirement applies to Transportation facilities through 19 CSR 39-95.040(1)(C) and Seed to Sale providers through 19 CSR 30-95.090(1)(B). Due to the timing of complete application submittals, the Department will meet this requirement for over 99.99% of the applicant pool.
“The high level of interest from patients and facility applicants has presented unique challenges for our team as they have implemented the constitutional amendment which will make medical marijuana available to qualified patients in Missouri,” said Dr. Randall Williams, director of DHSS. “I am pleased to report that we have been true to our goal of keeping patients first by moving the program forward as efficiently as possible.”
More information about the program can be found at medicalmarijuana.mo.gov.