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