Cassville Dispensary officially awarded license, slated to open this year
Dr. Lisa Roark, owner of The Dispensary, LLC, in Cassville, stands in what will be the lobby of the new medical marijuana facility to open later this year in Cassville. The dispensary will be located at 460 State Highway 76.
January 29, 2020
Charlea Estes-Jones
The news is official, cannabis is coming to Cassville. Dr. Lisa Roark's medical marijuana dispensary application was officially accepted by the state, and patients can expect it to open later this year. The Cassville Dispensary was the only dispensary application approved inside Barry County.
Dr. Roark said the news is exciting, and she is looking forward to the positive impact her new business venture will have on the community. She said, "I am super excited that we’ll get to bring a quality medical marijuana program to our tiny southwest Missouri town."
The Cassville Dispensary was one of 192 licenses awarded by the Department of Health and Senior Services last Thursday, January 23. The dispensary is sure to be busy and will serve many patients in rural southwest Missouri due to facilities in Monett and surrounding areas being conditionally denied. The closest facilities outside of Cassville will be in Branson West, Republic or Neosho.
Dr. Roark said she anticipates the location of the Cassville Dispensary will lead to a lot of business once cannabis is available. She said, "I expect that we will be very, very busy."
She added, "But, it’ll probably be late spring when we open."
Cassville Dispensary will be located at 460 State Highway 76 in Cassville. The building is currently being completely remodeled and will be split with the dispensary on one side and a new coffee shop on the other side. The coffee shop, also owned by Dr. Roark, will feature indoor and outdoor patio seating and a drive-thru, as well. She said, "Cassville needs a coffee shop. It'll also give patients a place to wait if there is a line at the dispensary."
The dispensary itself will carry more than just cannabis, including medicating supplies, home cultivation supplies, plant clones and seeds for cultivators. Dr. Roark said the dispensary will also stock a lot of patient education materials as well as have a lending library of books for patients to check out.
Dr. Roark is also expanding her medical clinic, a separate facility located at 1101 Main Street. She said, "We have had so many people ask, and no, we are not putting a dispensary in at the clinic. It will be a totally separate business.
"I will be the medical director over the dispensary, but I will not be at the dispensary for the daily operation. I have hired an incredible management team who will be in charge of all of the day-to-day operations. My role will be more as the medical side of it and to choose what strains and products we need to carry in terms of patient need."
Dr. Roark's dispensary application scored high in the rigorous application process. Only 24 licenses were awarded in each of the Congressional Districts, as outlined in Article XIV of the Missouri Constitution. When asked why she felt her application scored so highly amongst competitors, she said, "I think having a really good local management team planned out was a big part of it. Each person on our staff fills a little need from the accounting side to the healthcare side to the hands-on interaction for patients and management. I think my involvement in the community was a big part of it, too. I really think that’s what clenched it."
Everything from experience to building security to showing a positive community impact was taken into account on the scoring process. Dr. Roark said, "We had to demonstrate to the state that every square inch of these grounds will be monitored 24/7 via camera as well as having an armed security guard at any time we are open. We will also have security doors, security lights on the exterior and concrete barricades so no one could drive through the walls.
"All product will be locked in a safe. It’ll be way more secure than pharmacies. No one can even come in the dispensary side without a medical card."
Dr. Roark plans to employ 10 people to run the dispensary. The management and security teams are already decided and were part of her application process with the state. She said she anticipates the dispensary to be a positive benefit for the community and will generate a healthy amount of tax revenue for the county. While the dispensary is located inside Cassville city limits, the property is annexed outside of the city.
She said, "I think this is a change for the better."
The Cassville Dispensary will also work closely with the Springfield-based non-profit Ayden's Alliance, which will help families of children in need afford their medication. Dr. Roark said, "We will continue to work closely with Aydens’ Alliance. So far I’ve done 50 free certifications for families in need. We will continue to support through basically dispensary income their program to help patients who are low income afford their cannabis."
One of the two Monett dispensary applications was applied for by Dr. Paul Callicoat, who also owns Sarcoxie Nursery. Dr. Callicoat was hoping to have a vertically integrated business approach to grow, infuse products and sell cannabis through dispensaries. All of his applications for cultivation, manufacturing and dispensaries were denied. Dr. Callicoat is currently suing the state over the decision to deny his applications.
A second Monett dispensary application was originally filed for in Monett under the name Horizon Growth, LLC, but after scores were released, it appears Horizon Growth opted to change the location of the dispensary application to Springfield.
Only one other Barry County-based application was approved by the state. Holistic Industries, LLC, under the name Holistic Missouri, LLC, a Washington, D.C.-based vertically-integrated business that is currently in six other states, was approved for a cultivation facility. The reported location of the potential cannabis grow will be near Cassville's Industrial Park on Highway 76/86.
In Barry County, infused manufacturing licenses were applied for by Choice Extracts, LLC, in Monett, Holistic Missouri, LLC, and Ozark Mountain Green, LLC. All of those applications were denied.
For more information about the Cassville Dispensary, go to www.cassvilledispensary.com.
For more information about the medical marijuana program in Missouri, go to: http://medicalmarijuana.mo.gov.
Charlea Estes-Jones
The news is official, cannabis is coming to Cassville. Dr. Lisa Roark's medical marijuana dispensary application was officially accepted by the state, and patients can expect it to open later this year. The Cassville Dispensary was the only dispensary application approved inside Barry County.
Dr. Roark said the news is exciting, and she is looking forward to the positive impact her new business venture will have on the community. She said, "I am super excited that we’ll get to bring a quality medical marijuana program to our tiny southwest Missouri town."
The Cassville Dispensary was one of 192 licenses awarded by the Department of Health and Senior Services last Thursday, January 23. The dispensary is sure to be busy and will serve many patients in rural southwest Missouri due to facilities in Monett and surrounding areas being conditionally denied. The closest facilities outside of Cassville will be in Branson West, Republic or Neosho.
Dr. Roark said she anticipates the location of the Cassville Dispensary will lead to a lot of business once cannabis is available. She said, "I expect that we will be very, very busy."
She added, "But, it’ll probably be late spring when we open."
Cassville Dispensary will be located at 460 State Highway 76 in Cassville. The building is currently being completely remodeled and will be split with the dispensary on one side and a new coffee shop on the other side. The coffee shop, also owned by Dr. Roark, will feature indoor and outdoor patio seating and a drive-thru, as well. She said, "Cassville needs a coffee shop. It'll also give patients a place to wait if there is a line at the dispensary."
The dispensary itself will carry more than just cannabis, including medicating supplies, home cultivation supplies, plant clones and seeds for cultivators. Dr. Roark said the dispensary will also stock a lot of patient education materials as well as have a lending library of books for patients to check out.
Dr. Roark is also expanding her medical clinic, a separate facility located at 1101 Main Street. She said, "We have had so many people ask, and no, we are not putting a dispensary in at the clinic. It will be a totally separate business.
"I will be the medical director over the dispensary, but I will not be at the dispensary for the daily operation. I have hired an incredible management team who will be in charge of all of the day-to-day operations. My role will be more as the medical side of it and to choose what strains and products we need to carry in terms of patient need."
Dr. Roark's dispensary application scored high in the rigorous application process. Only 24 licenses were awarded in each of the Congressional Districts, as outlined in Article XIV of the Missouri Constitution. When asked why she felt her application scored so highly amongst competitors, she said, "I think having a really good local management team planned out was a big part of it. Each person on our staff fills a little need from the accounting side to the healthcare side to the hands-on interaction for patients and management. I think my involvement in the community was a big part of it, too. I really think that’s what clenched it."
Everything from experience to building security to showing a positive community impact was taken into account on the scoring process. Dr. Roark said, "We had to demonstrate to the state that every square inch of these grounds will be monitored 24/7 via camera as well as having an armed security guard at any time we are open. We will also have security doors, security lights on the exterior and concrete barricades so no one could drive through the walls.
"All product will be locked in a safe. It’ll be way more secure than pharmacies. No one can even come in the dispensary side without a medical card."
Dr. Roark plans to employ 10 people to run the dispensary. The management and security teams are already decided and were part of her application process with the state. She said she anticipates the dispensary to be a positive benefit for the community and will generate a healthy amount of tax revenue for the county. While the dispensary is located inside Cassville city limits, the property is annexed outside of the city.
She said, "I think this is a change for the better."
The Cassville Dispensary will also work closely with the Springfield-based non-profit Ayden's Alliance, which will help families of children in need afford their medication. Dr. Roark said, "We will continue to work closely with Aydens’ Alliance. So far I’ve done 50 free certifications for families in need. We will continue to support through basically dispensary income their program to help patients who are low income afford their cannabis."
One of the two Monett dispensary applications was applied for by Dr. Paul Callicoat, who also owns Sarcoxie Nursery. Dr. Callicoat was hoping to have a vertically integrated business approach to grow, infuse products and sell cannabis through dispensaries. All of his applications for cultivation, manufacturing and dispensaries were denied. Dr. Callicoat is currently suing the state over the decision to deny his applications.
A second Monett dispensary application was originally filed for in Monett under the name Horizon Growth, LLC, but after scores were released, it appears Horizon Growth opted to change the location of the dispensary application to Springfield.
Only one other Barry County-based application was approved by the state. Holistic Industries, LLC, under the name Holistic Missouri, LLC, a Washington, D.C.-based vertically-integrated business that is currently in six other states, was approved for a cultivation facility. The reported location of the potential cannabis grow will be near Cassville's Industrial Park on Highway 76/86.
In Barry County, infused manufacturing licenses were applied for by Choice Extracts, LLC, in Monett, Holistic Missouri, LLC, and Ozark Mountain Green, LLC. All of those applications were denied.
For more information about the Cassville Dispensary, go to www.cassvilledispensary.com.
For more information about the medical marijuana program in Missouri, go to: http://medicalmarijuana.mo.gov.
