“One of the good things about being the 31st state to offer medical marijuana is that we were able to look at what other states did and what worked there and what didn’t,” says Jack Cardetti.
Cardetti works with New Approach Missouri, the campaign that sponsored Amendment 2, the medical marijuana ballot initiative that voters approved in November. Soon, the way Missouri doctors treat patients with terminal illnesses, cancer, and even migraines will look very different. Amendment 2 allows doctors to recommend weed to patients with serious illnesses. Smoke it, vape it, eat it, use an oil or a patch or even a suppository; as long as your doctor is licensed, you’re a qualifying patient, you’ve got an ID card ($25 annually), and you don’t use in public or drive under the influence, you’re golden. A 4 percent tax will go to the Missouri Veterans’ Health and Care Fund. Some have cited medical marijuana as an alternative to prescription opioids.
Even Governor Mike Parson is on board. “It is my job to ensure successful implementation of the people’s will,” he told SLM. By the margin that Amendment 2 passed, it seems that Missouri is ready for medical marijuana.
One holdup: In the weeks after Amendment 2 passed, wonks threw around some pretty wonky queries: Who will receive licenses to cultivate (a minimum of 61 at $10,000 a pop) and dispense (192 expected to roll out at $6,000 per license)? Big companies like MedMen, the ones with the kitted-out dispensary on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan? What about vertical integration, in which a company controls multiple parts of the manufacturing process?
We learned a thing or two from other states with legal medical marijuana, says Cardetti. First, businesses that apply for licenses must be majority Missouri–owned, similar to the rule in Arkansas. The reason we want some outsiders? Experience. “If every single person is doing this for the first time, that’s not necessarily good for patients,” he says.
Second, New Approach did think about vertical integration. The number of cultivation licenses owned by the same entity is capped at three; for dispensaries, it’s five. “Some states prohibit vertical integration, while other states require it,” Cardetti says. “We didn’t think either made sense. We thought it ought to be optional.” The upside to vertical integration: It keeps the cost low. The potential downside: “It certainly does squeeze out the ability for Missourians to participate in the market,” says Cardetti. “At the same time, we don’t want to prohibit it, because that’s led to other problems and other states where product and prices are artificially high for patients.” Especially on the dispensary side, with licenses broken down geographically, this ensures a healthy number of dispensaries across the state and makes it so that no one entity will control too many, he says.
So has Missouri found the perfect balance? Until medical marijuana is actually rolled out, any predictions remain half-baked.
Important Dates
July 4: Qualifying patients begin submitting applications for medical marijuana ID cards.
August 3: ID card applicants are accepted or rejected. Cultivation and dispensary license applications are submitted.
December 31: Cultivation and dispensary license applicants are approved or denied.
