What are Missouri Marijuana Microbusiness Licenses?
Starting in 2023, people over the age of 21 in Missouri may apply for a license to cultivate, manufacture, and dispensary marijuana products as a Marijuana microbusiness. In order to apply for a microbusiness license, you must be eligible under the law to obtain either the Microbusiness Dispensary License, or the Microbusiness Wholesale License. The Microbusiness Wholesale license can cultivate and manufacture marijuana products and sell them to another Microbusiness Dispensary License. The Microbusiness Dispensary license can buy marijuana from Microbusiness Wholesalers and retail them at their locations. Contact our offices for help finding the right Missouri Cannabis Lawyer or consultant for your application.
Who is eligible to get a Missouri Microbusiness License
You must qualify for a microbusiness marijuana license under the new Missouri cannabis laws. In order to be eligible to participate in the lottery to award the microbusiness licenses, you must be one of the following:
- Have a net worth of less than $250,000 and have had an income below two hundred and fifty percent of the federal poverty level, or successor level, as set forth in the applicable calendar year’s federal poverty income guidelines published by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services or its successor agency, for at least three of the ten calendar years prior to applying for a marijuana microbusiness facility license; or
- Have a valid service-connected disability card issued by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, or successor agency; or
- Be a person who has been, or a person whose parent, guardian or spouse has been arrested for, prosecuted for, or convicted of a non-violent marijuana offense, except for a conviction involving provision of marijuana to a minor, or a conviction of driving under the influence of marijuana. The arrest, charge, or conviction must have
occurred at least one year prior to the effective date of this section; or - Reside in a ZIP code or census track area where:
- (1) Thirty percent or more of the population lives below the federal poverty level; or
- (2) The rate of unemployment is fifty percent higher than the state average rate of unemployment; or
- (3) The historic rate of incarceration for marijuana-related offenses is fifty percent higher than the rate for the entire state; or
- Graduated from a school district that was unaccredited, or had a similar successor designation, at the time of graduation, or has lived in a zip code containing an unaccredited school district, or similar successor designation, for three of the past five years.
If you qualify for eligibility, you should consider playing the lottery to win a Missouri Microbusiness marijuana license.
How will the Microbusiness licenses be awarded
The state of Missouri will have a lottery to award at least 144 microbusiness licenses with two-thirds (⅔) of the licenses being awarded to Microbusiness Wholesalers, and one-third (⅓) being awarded to Microbusiness Dispensaries.
What is a Microbusiness Dispensary Facility License
A microbusiness dispensary facility is licensed to dispense marijuana for medical or adult use in compliance with the rules. They may only sell marijuana products acquired from a microbusiness wholesale licensee or from another licensed microbusiness dispensary.
What is a Microbusiness Wholesale License
A microbusiness wholesale facility is licensed to engage in the process of cultivating and manufacturing marijuana product for medical or adult use, in compliance with the cultivation facility and manufacturing facility rules for marijuana operators in Missouri. A microbusiness wholesale licensee may only sell its products to a microbusiness dispensary license, or another microbusiness wholesale license holder.
How much does a Microbusiness Marijuana License Cost
It is less expensive than the standard forms of the medical marijuana or adult use licenses in Missouri. The license fee is much lower at only $1,500. The application won’t be very expensive until after you win the lottery. Then you must get a complete application that demonstrates your compliance and build out operations. The entire budget for this process will probably be less than one million dollars, which makes it one of the most affordable license types in the adult-use cannabis industry.
Legal Missouri 2022 Campaign Manager, John Payne, quote,
“There is a minimum of 144 micro licenses guaranteed in the amendment, with two-thirds of them as wholesale and one-third retail. Wholesalers will be able to both cultivate up to 250 plants and manufacture infused products. The retail micro-licenses will function in much the same way that current medical marijuana dispensaries operate, but will also have the ability to sell adult use marijuana.”
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