DHSS SMMR PROGRAM UPDATES
DHSS Director Dr. Randall Williams Resigns
Governor Mike Parson named Deputy Chief of Staff Robert Knodell as Acting Director of the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) effective immediately, see the full media advisory here.
DHSS Comments on Requests for Commencement Variances
MoCannTrade’s Government Affairs committee along with MoCann members have been inquiring about the department’s position as to whether Sept. 30th 2021 is the hard date for all facility commencements, with no further possibility of extension.  The department provided the below response for industry reference and clarity along with the release of Guidance Letter #10, see the entire guidance letter here:  “We have emphasized with licensees for a while now that extensions beyond September 30 are very unlikely to be approved. We continue to discuss with staff to make sure our messaging is consistent on this – that such a request is unlikely to be approved rather than certain to be denied.As always, if a licensee feels it must submit a variance request, we will consider the arguments presented before ruling on that request. However, we will continue to hold our licensees to as much of an accelerated timeline as possible and would remind anyone considering a new request that approval of additional time was never a guarantee. Certainly we would expect to see evidence of significant progress in construction at this point, but at some point, even that would not be persuasive, particularly if the evidence is that progress has stalled.The requirement was to be operational within a year. Everything after that is a concession not lightly given, and we are mindful of the fact that granting an additional year to a licensee will always be problematic since we could have revoked that licensee at the one-year mark and replaced them with someone who could meet that obligation.Facilities that were licensed later than the first batch are showing us every day that they are capable of becoming operational within a year or even significantly less. We are concerned with the level of pressure our staff are receiving from licensees that seem to feel variance approval is inevitable, particularly in cases where licensees are still changing their plans significantly instead of committing to becoming operational on their approved timelines. Certainly, there are licensees who have experienced unforeseeable setbacks, but there are far too many licensees that are still considering changes that would make it impossible to meet a reasonably extended deadline.DHSS will continue to work with each licensee according to their particular circumstances, but this is not the time to be counting on significant extensions.” 

Missouri Medical Cannabis Program Stats
For your reference, we have gathered key program stats into one handy place below, or you can follow this link to get data directly from DHSS.As of April 20th: 

  • Commencements: 201 requested, 73 in progress, 4 set aside, 124 complete
  • Change Requests: 314 requested, 277 complete
  • Variance Requests: 336 requested, 302 complete
  • Patient/Caregiver Certifications:  95,273
  • Agent IDs:  2,666 approved to work at facilities
  • MO MMJ Cumulative Sales: 10/16/20 – 04/16/21 = $32.4MM ($2.7MM last week)

Commenced Facilities By Name
CULTIVATION: 

  1. Beleaf | Sinse – STL
  2. Archimedes Medical Holdings | Solhaus  – Perryville
  3. C4, LLC | C4  – Carrollton
  4. BD Health 1 | Flora Farms – Humansville
  5. BD Health 2 | Flora Farms – Humansville
  6. BD Health 3 | Flora Farms – Humansville
  7. Focus Partners | Greenlight – KC
  8. OXG LLC | Illicit Gardens  – Independence
  9. GF Biomass | Green Farms – Cuba
  10. Hippos LLC | Hippos – Vienna
  11. FUJM LLC | Glasshaus – Perryville
  12. New Growth Horizon LLC | Proper Cannabis – STL
  13. Beleaf – Cherokee St. | Sinse – STL
  14. Focus Partners Kansas City LLC | Greenlight – KC
  15. Focus Partners Kansas City LLC | Greenlight – KC
  16. Heya St. Ann Cultivation II LLC | Heya Wellness – St Ann
  17. BTMD Holdings LLC | Morgan County Farms – Gravois Mills
  18. Vertical Enterprise, LLC | Vertical – St. Joseph*
  19. 1913 Carrollton LLC | 1913 – Carrollton*

MANUFACTURING:

  1. Green Four Ventures | Clovr – Kansas City
  2. Next Wave MO LLC | Greenlight – Kansas City
  3. New Growth Horizon, LLC | Proper Cannabis – St. Louis
  4. BeLeaf Medical LLC | Phytos – St. Louis
  5. Heartland Enterprises LLC | Heartland Labs – Buffalo
  6. C4, LLC | C4 – Carrollton
  7. Happy Days, LLC | Happy Days/Blue Sage Cannabis – Springfield
  8. SMA Manufacturing, LLC | CoCo Labs – Clarence
  9. GF Extraction Lab LLC | Green Farms – Cuba
  10. Vertical Enterprise, LLC | Vertical – St. Joseph*

TRANSPORTATION:

  1. KC Cann Transport – Blue Springs
  2. Special Services – St. Louis
  3. CLS Med-Can Logistics LLC – Kansas City
  4. The Daily Hybrid – Eureka
  5. CST Transportation – Springfield
  6. James Hartman  | Big Time Logistics – Lebanon
  7. William Herrick, LLC – Butler
  8. 5th Meridian Group Inc – Cape Girardeau
  9. Missouri Made Marijuana, LLC – Joplin
  10. G5 Express, LLC – Florissant

DISPENSARY: 

  1. Nirvana Bliss 2 | N’ Bliss – Manchester
  2. Nirvana Bliss 5 | N’ Bliss – Ellisville
  3. Swade | Beleaf – St. Peters
  4. Missouri Health & Wellness  – Washington
  5. Missouri Health & Wellness – Sedalia
  6. Fresh Green – Lee’s Summit
  7. The Dispensary – Cassville
  8. Old Route 66 Wellness – Ozark
  9. Old Route 66 Wellness – Springfield
  10. Harmony Neosho | Flora Farms – Neosho
  11. GRD | Green Releaf – Moberly
  12. Missouri Health & Wellness – Kirksville
  13. AW Enterprises | 3rd Street Dispensary – Lee’s Summit
  14. GRD | Green Releaf – Mexico
  15. Show Me Alternatives | COCO Dispensary – Moberly
  16. Releaf Resources – Grandview
  17. BD Health Retail 1 | Flora Farms – Humansville
  18. GRD Troy LLC | Green Releaf – Troy
  19. COMO Health LLC | 3Fifteen Primo – Columbia
  20. BMD Smithville LLC | Besame Wellness – Smithville  
  21. OXD 19341 | From The Earth – Independence
  22. OXD Troost | From The Earth – Kansas City
  23. LSA314 Inc | Taste Buds – St. Clair
  24. Missouri Joint Ventures, LLC | MJV – Nixa
  25. SMO5 LLC | Blue Sage Cannabis – Lebanon
  26. Missouri Health & Wellness – Jefferson City
  27. Mo Med Chillicothe, LLC | CoCo Dispensary – Chillicothe
  28. 29 & 79 LLC | The Valley – Farmington
  29. Cape Girardeau Investments LLC | Greenlight – Cape
  30. Occidental Group, Inc | Star Buds – Festus
  31. Sikeston Investments LLC | Greenlight – Sikeston
  32. Easy Mountain Inv LLC | Easy Mountain – Republic
  33. SMO4 LLC | Blue Sage Cannabis – Carthage
  34. Ozarx Botanicals LLC | Ozarx Springfield
  35. BMD Swift LLC | Besame Wellness – N. Kansas City
  36. Mint MO 4 LLC | Mint – St. Peters
  37. Poplar Bluff Inv LLC | Greenlight – Poplar Bluff
  38. Terrapin Inv Fund IV | Terrapin Care Station Belton
  39. Terrapin Inv Fund IV | Terrapin Care Station – KC
  40. Mo Med Hannibal LLC | CoCo Dispensary – Hannibal
  41. THF Partners LLC | Greenlight – Independence
  42. THF Partners LLC | Greenlight – Kansas City
  43. THF Partners LLC | Greenlight – Harrisonville
  44. OXD SWB LLC | From the Earth – Kansas City
  45. FP4-Broadway LLC | Greenlight – St. Louis
  46. FP1-S Florissant LLC | Greenlight – Ferguson
  47. BeLeaf Medical LLC | Swade – Ellisville
  48. BeLeaf Medical LLC | Swade – STL The Grove
  49. Captiva Healing LLC | Captiva Healing – St. Louis
  50. MOAZ Industries LLC | Territory Dispensary – Osage Beach
  51. VG Imperial LLC | BeKind Dispensary
  52. GF Wellness S. Grand LLC | Root 66 St. Louis
  53. GF Wellness Franz Park LLC | Root 66 – St. Louis
  54. BD Health Retail 2, LLC | Flora Farms – Springfield
  55. New Growth Horizon, LLC | Proper – Warrenton
  56. New Growth Horizon, LLC | Proper – St. Louis
  57. Fresh Green – Kansas City
  58. GRD Columbia LLC | Green Releaf – Columbia
  59. Missouri Wild LLC | Missouri Wild Alchemy – O’Fallon
  60. True Level Investment Inc | Fresh Karma – Parkville
  61. OWG I, LLC | The Farmer’s Wife – Springfield
  62. OWG III, LLC | The Farmer’s Wife – West Plains
  63. OWG V, LLC | The Farmer’s Wife – Mountain Grove
  64. Missouri Made Marijuana, LLC | Missouri Made – Joplin
  65. GF Wellness St. Peters LLC | Root 66 – St. Peters
  66. MO Retail Products Group, Inc | Shango – Joplin
  67. Kansas City Cannabis Company LLC | KCCO – Blue Springs
  68. Shangri-La Cameron, LLC | Shangri-La – Liberty
  69. Heya Park Hills Retail LLC | Heya – Park Hills
  70. MO Retail Products Group, Inc | Shango – Springfield
  71. 6662 Delmar SL, LLC | Jane Dispensary – St. Louis
  72. Occidental Group, Inc. | StarBuds – University City
  73. Purple Leaf, LLC | Purple Leaf – Gladstone
  74. QPS Missouri Holdings, LLC | High Profile – St. Charles
  75. Missouri Wild LLC | Missouri Wild Alchemy II – O’Fallon
  76. Organic Remedies MO, Inc. | Organic Remedies – Cape
  77. Shangri-La Jefferson, LLC | Shangri-La – Jefferson City
  78. QPS Missouri Holdings, LLC | High Profile – Columbia
  79. Organic Remedies MO, Inc. | Organic Remedies – Sedalia
  80. MO Retail Products Group, Inc | Shango II – Springfield
  81. FP2-Natural Bridge LLC | Greenlight – St. Louis*
  82. COMO Health LLC | 3Fifteen Primo – Valley Park*

TESTING LABS:

  1. EKG Life Science Solutions | MoCann Testing –  STL
  2. Green Precision Analytics | GPA – KC
  3. GCA Inc – Herculaneum
  4. Conti Corps Labs – Galena

*Newly commenced

MO & FEDERAL LEGISLATIVE UPDATES

Federal Cannabis Policy Watch

SAFE Banking Federal:  The U.S. House of Representatives passed cannabis banking reform by a strong bipartisan vote of 321-101 on Monday, the first major piece of marijuana legislation to be approved by the new Democratic-controlled Congress. The bill was overwhelmingly supported earlier in the day in a voice vote, but a formal roll call was demanded and conducted Monday evening.

More than half of the Republicans who voted supported the bill. All Democrats who voted approved the measure. The vote was timed to come on the eve of the cannabis celebration 4/20.

The bill must still be passed by the Senate and signed by President Joe Biden before becoming law. The measure, known as the SAFE Banking Act, would enable banks and other financial institutions to serve state-legal marijuana businesses without fear of federal punishment. Prospects for Senate passage are considered brighter than in previous years after Democrats won slim control of the upper chamber in the recent election. More information can be found at Marijuana Moment.

MoCannTrade, on behalf of its members and the Missouri medical cannabis industry, recently signed a letter of support for SAFE Banking to our US Congress.  This letter was assembled through our national association partner ATACH along with other state-based trade associations and indicated strong support for the passage of the SAFE Banking Act and the relief this legislation provides to marijuana-related businesses nationwide. See the letter here.

Schumer Worries Senate Marijuana Banking Vote Could Undermine Broader Legalization Push:  With Democrats now in control of a chamber that for years has been run by GOP members with little to no interest in ending federal prohibition, the pro-legalization senator has found himself in a unique position to lead the charge.  See the full intereview at Marijuana Moment:

MoLeg Weekly Watch Report
During the 2021 legislative session, our medical cannabis-related legislative watch report link is attached here each week.The MoLeg Watch Report is a customized web report that updates in real-time any bill or amendment related to medical cannabis along with a brief detail below.

Missouri Legislative Update – Week 14
Last Thursday concluded the fourteenth week of the 2021 regular session. MoCannTrade and its lobbying partners are currently tracking 41 bills and amendments moving through the legislature. A few key items are highlighted below, for all others please refer to your MoLeg web report.IP Reform | Reforming the Initiative Petition Process: The Senate Local Government Committee convened Wednesday afternoon to consider passage of House Bill 333 and HJR 20 sponsored by Representatives John Simmons (R – Washington) and Mike Henderson (R – Bonne Terre) respectively.The proposals reform the state’s initiative petition procedures by increasing the number of signatures required for an initiative petition to qualify for the ballot, requiring a supermajority of voters to approve measures placed on the ballot by initiative petition rather than today’s simple majority, and imposing fees in order to submit petitions, among other items. After brief discussion, both bills were passed by a vote of 5-1.

Time-saving Scale Solutions for your MRB

Precision Scale & Controls has a variety of scales and balances available for the Missouri MMJ industry.  They also have a unique and time saving service benefit for Missouri operators. Precision has the distinct ability to pre-certify scales they sell to licensees, meaning you can acquire your scales and have them certified by Precision without having to wait and schedule a certification with the Department of Agriculture – Weights and Measures.

Precision is a Missouri state licensed certifier for Weights and Measures (along with other states) and can handle licensees quickly and efficiently. Contact Ian and the team at Precision to keep your team compliant and balanced.

MoCannTrade Board and Committee Nominations Open Until May 3rd 

MoCann has reopened our board nomination form online.  

As our industry evolves, so does MoCann with a specific focus on meeting the needs of our members and the industry. With that, we reopened our industry nominations April 1st 2021 to populate our industry committees, open advisory board and board of director seats.

As the representative voice of trade for Missouri cannabis, it’s paramount to our success to speak with a unified, impactful voice – on everything from policy discussion to regulatory development to legislative matters. This is your call to action to participate in our association leadership, boards and industry-facing committees to further strengthen our credibility as we advance Missouri’s medical cannabis industry.

WHO CAN NOMINATE?

  • MoCannTrade Platinum Members
  • MoCannTrade Licensed Facility Members
  • MoCannTrade Board Members

WHO CAN SERVE?

Active board, platinum or licensed facility members can self or peer nominate anyone they believe will be a strong contributor to the association and our industry.

HOW DOES IT WORK?

From April 1st 2021 to May 3rd 2021, Platinum or Licensed Facility members can submit a self or peer nomination. All submissions will be evaluated by MoCannTrade’s five person Nominating Committee. With each nomination submission, background & rationale for the nomination will be weighed. Once all nominations have been received, the nominating committee will move quickly to identify and contact finalists by late May.

More info and the link to submit here.