ST. LOUIS — The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services will start accepting applications for cannabis-related microbusinesses this week.
According to a press release, the department's application portal will open on July 27 and remain open until Aug. 10. The department will then award six microbusiness licenses in each of the eight congressional districts in the state.
The microbusinesses must be majority owned by individuals who meet at least one of the eligibility criteria listed on the department's website.
The businesses can be either a wholesale falicility or a dispensary facility. Two of the businesses approved in each district will be dispensaries and four will be wholesale facilities.
According to the health department, wholesale facilities will "combine cultivation and manufacturing facilities to serve the medical and adult-use communities" while dispensaries will provide a facility where marijuana is dispensed for both medical and adult-use communities.
The lottery will be conducted by the Missouri Lottery to ensure the integrity of the process. The lottery will take place no later than Sept. 1 and the results will be available on the department's website as soon as they become available.
Missouri has sold $592.3 million worth of cannabis since recreational sales started Feb. 3. Medical marijuana sales became legal in the state in October 2020.
Total cannabis sales in June came in at $121.2 million, just above May’s total sales of $120.9 million. Adult use grew almost 3% to $95.2 million in June, compared with the prior month, while medical fell about 8% to $26 million.
