Handful of local medical marijuana applications filed

FILE - This May 20, 2019 file photo shows a mature marijuana plant beginning to bloom under artificial lights at Loving Kindness Farms in Gardena, Calif.
FILE - This May 20, 2019 file photo shows a mature marijuana plant beginning to bloom under artificial lights at Loving Kindness Farms in Gardena, Calif.

If their applications are approved, Jefferson City and Eldon could soon have medical marijuana cultivation and dispensary locations.

As of Friday, separate applications have been filed for a dispensary and a cultivation operation in Jefferson City. For Eldon, two applicants are seeking to open cultivation operations and one applicant is seeking to open up a dispensary.

Numerous other applications have been pre-filed in the Lake of the Ozarks area.

In November, Missouri voters approved Constitutional Amendment 2, which legalized medical marijuana in the state with a 4 percent retail tax, which will go to the Missouri Veteran's Health and Care fund.

Between Aug. 3-17, the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services will accept applications for dispensary, cultivation, manufacturing and testing facilities.

Application forms became available June 4; as of July 2, DHSS had received 554 pre-filed applications forms as well as non-refundable application fees totalling $3.95 million. Two of those pre-filed applications were for Jefferson City.

The Missouri Constitution divides medical marijuana facilities into four categories:

Medical marijuana cultivation facility - a facility that farms, stores, transports and sells medical marijuana. Non-refundable application fees are $10,000, and annual fees are $25,000.

Medical marijuana testing facility - a facility that acquires, tests, certifies and transports medical marijuana.

Medical marijuana-infused products manufacturing facility - a facility that specializes in marijuana-infused products. Non-refundable application fees are $6,000.

Medical marijuana dispensary facility - a medical marijuana retail establishment. Non-refundable application fees are $6,000 and annual fees are $10,000.

According to the DHSS website, applicants interested in applying for a combination of licenses, such as a cultivation and distribution license, must initially submit separate applications for each license at single facilities. Once approved, the facilities may seek approval to combine operations into a single facility.

As of July 2, of the 552 pre-filed applications, 160 are for cultivation facilities, 208 for dispensaries and 86 for manufacturing facilities.

As of June 25, Congressional District 3, which includes Jefferson City, had 44 dispensary applications.

District 4, which includes Columbia, had 37 applications; 31 of those would be located in Columbia.

District 5, which is composed of Kansas City and the surrounding area, had the most dispensary applications collected, at 73.

District 6, which covers the northern portion of the state, had the lowest number of dispensary applications at 17.

Districts 1 and 2, which share St. Louis County, had 37 and 27 applications, respectively. The St. Louis metro area is in District 1.

Districts 7 and 8, which cover the southwest and southeast parts of the state, had 48 and 25 applications, respectively.

In November, Jack Cardetti, then-spokesman for New Approach Missouri, the organization that promoted the ballot measure, told the News Tribune at least 24 dispensary licenses must be issued in each congressional district, for a total of 192.

Cardetti, who is now the spokesman for Missouri Medical Cannabis Trade Association, said this minimum was included to allow the industry to grow and not become monopolized by a few individuals.

"Even in a closed market like this where there is a finite amount of licenses, competition within that market is going to provide better services, products and better prices for Missouri patients," Cardetti said.

As of June 25, each district could meet that requirement except District 6, if enough applications were approved. According to the DHSS website, licenses will be issued within 150 days, if the application is approved through a "blind facility application scoring process."

Once the licences are awarded, Cardetti said, businesses have one year to get up and running. Within 12 months, the business must be inspected by the DHSS or forfeit their license.

Applications for patients seeking medical marijuana cards opened the first week of June, and the DHSS has 30 days to process each application. Medical marijuana identification cards will cost $25. Cardetti said it may be late spring of next year before patients can actually enter dispensaries and use their cards.

However, Missouri is moving quicker than some states. Arkansas approved medical marijuana in 2016 but only opened its first dispensary earlier this year.

In June, the Jefferson City Planning and Zoning Commission recommended medical marijuana dispensaries be allowed in C-1 Neighborhood Commercial and C-2 General Commercial zoning districts. Later this month, the Jefferson City Council will vote on the issue.

The City Council passed a zoning code amendment in May regarding medical marijuana cultivation, testing and manufacturing facilities, which are only permitted in M-1 Light Industrial and M-2 General Industrial zoning districts, and not allowed within 1,000 feet of any then-existing secondary or elementary schools, child day care centers or churches.

Local applications for medical marijuana licenses filed as of July 5:

Jefferson City

Applicant: John Ives

Company legal name: Paradise River LLC

Mailing address: Westphalia

Type of license: Cultivation

Anticipated facility location: Jefferson City

 

Applicant: Camille McClain

Company legal name: MOCB LLC

Mailing address: Jefferson City

Type of license: Dispensary

Anticipated facility location: Jefferson City

 

Eldon

Applicant: Gerard Harms Jr.

Company legal name: Acme Farms

Mailing address: Lake Ozark

Type of license: Cultivation

Anticipated facility location: Eldon

Harms also pre-filed for a manufacturing license under Magic Dragon Edibles LLC and a dispensary license under Magic Dragon Dispensary LLC

 

Applicant: Amy Freeman

Company legal name: The Harvest Center

Mailing address: Ferguson

Type of license: Cultivation

Anticipated facility location: Eldon

 

Applicant: Katherine Nolting

Company legal name: Earth's Medicinal Botanicals

Mailing address: Eldon

Type of license: Dispensary

Anticipated facility location: Eldon

 

Camdenton

Applicant: Joseph Lusardi

Company legal name: Curaleaf MO, Inc.

Mailing address: Wakefield, Massachussetts

Type of license: Dispensary

Anticipated facility location: Camdenton

 

Applicant: Debra Lotze

Company legal name: Vintage & Vogue LLC dbaReLeaf Remedies

Mailing address: Camdenton

Type of license: Dispensary

Anticipated facility location: Camdenton

 

Applicant: Nanci Morris

Company legal name: Total Health Camdenton

Mailing address: Camdenton

Type of license: Dispensary

Anticipated facility location: Camdenton

 

Applicant: Jennifer Stadter

Company legal name: Esmeralda Holdings LLC dba Emerald Goddess Extracts

Mailing address: Osage Beach

Type of license: Manufacturing

Anticipated facility location: Camdenton

 

Lake of the Ozarks

Applicant: Douglas Willmann

Company legal name: Willmann and Luther, Inc.

Mailing address: Fenton

Type of license: Dispensary

Anticipated facility location: Lake of the Ozarks

 

Applicant: Michael Madden

Company legal name: Not listed with DHSS.

Mailing address: Lake Ozark

Type of license: Cultivation

Anticipated facility location: Lake of the Ozarks

Madden also pre-filed for a manufacturing license in Lake Ozark. A company name was not listed with DHSS.

 

Osage Beach

Applicant: Kalise Lischwe

Company legal name: Not listed with DHSS.

Mailing address: Osage Beach

Type of license: Dispensary

Anticipated facility location: Osage Beach

 

Applicant: L. LaDonna-Louise Leatherbery

Company legal name: Greenside Apothecary

Mailing address: Camdenton

Type of license: Cultivation, dispensary

Anticipated facility location: Osage Beach

 

Applicant: Cory Powell

Company legal name: Lake Area Caregivers LLC

Mailing address: Camdenton

Type of license: Dispensary

Anticipated facility location: Osage Beach

 

Applicant: Glen Smith

Company legal name: Not listed with DHSS.

Mailing address: Osage Beach

Type of license: Cultivation

Anticipated facility location: Osage Beach