First medical marijuana licenses awarded; Cassville to get cultivation facility
January 1, 2020
Charlea Estes-Jones
It's official: Cassville will be the site of a medical marijuana cultivation operation in 2020. Holistic Missouri, LLC, part of the larger Holistic Industries, earned three of the coveted 60 licenses awarded across the state. The cultivation facilities Holistic Missouri applied for and received will be in Cassville, Kansas City and Sunrise Beach.
Holistic Industries has marijuana facilities in California, Maryland, Washington, D.C., Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and Michigan. It is owned by founder and CEO Josh Genderson who began the business after serving as president of his family's third-generation liquor store in Washington, D.C.
In the Missouri medical marijuana world, December was a big month. While initially, the Department of Health and Senior Services was slated to approve or deny all medical marijuana facility licenses by December 31, a new time line was released, pushing the final decision on infused manufacturing facilities and dispensaries back into January. However, for testing laboratories, transportation companies and cultivation applicants, they were notified of the fate of their applications before the end of 2019.
For the companies who have heard yes or no on the fate of their medical marijuana business ventures, Barry County had only one approval thus far. Of the cultivation, transportation and testing lab applicants across the state, the only one in Barry County that made the cut was Holistic Missouri, LLC, despite other applications being filed.
In all, Holistic Missouri applied for 13 different licenses across the state: three cultivation, seven dispensaries, and three infused manufacturing licenses.
The other applicants from Barry County for cultivation and transportation were denied. The transportation company that applied for a license was under the name SickBudz, LLC, in Wheaton. That application was denied earlier in December.
Ozark Leaf Farms, LLC, in Aurora, Samuel Myers, in Seligman, and Sho Me Genetics, LLC, in Eagle Rock, were all denied cultivation licenses.
Ozark Mountain Green, LLC, in Shell Knob, applied on the Stone County side but was also denied a cultivation license. Ozark Mountain Green's infused manufacturing license is still pending.
The next deadline for businesses hoping for licenses will be January 10 when DHSS announced they will be awarding infused manufacturing licenses. In Barry County, infused manufacturing licenses were applied for by Choice Extracts, LLC, in Monett, Holistic Missouri, LLC, and Ozark Mountain Green, LLC.
Dispensaries will be the last to hear the fate of their applications. DHSS will award or deny licensure on January 24. Barry County's dispensary applicants are: Dr. Lisa Roark, MD, under The Dispensary, LLC, in Cassville, and two in Monett under Horizon Growth, LLC, and Monett Dispensary, LLC.
Horizon Growth, LLC, also applied for a cultivation license in Pierce City but was denied. They also have applications for manufacturing in Pierce City and dispensary applications for Sunrise Beach, Lees Summit and Springfield.
Licensing Process
In all, 554 different applications were filed for cultivation licenses in the state. DHSS approved 60 licenses, the minimum number required by Article XIV in the Missouri Constitution. Should any of the 60 approved companies choose not to utilize their license, the state will move down the list of the next top scoring business.
To file an application, cultivation facilities had to show the background of each of their owners and principal officers/managers, including their history of business success, the site's security, positive economic impact on the community and other categories. Limiting some of the smaller operations, each business also had to show $200,000 in liquid capital on top of the $10,000 application fee.
The scoring system, which changed after filing opened, is the subject of multiple appeals and at least one lawsuit, claiming unfairness in the rubric system that allowed for applications of out-of-state operations preferential treatment.
Sarcoxie Nursery had a hearing on Monday, December 30. Sarcoxie Nursery, owned by the Callicoat family, went for multiple licenses, including one of the dispensaries in Monett.
Legal cannabis availability
While commercial licenses are being approved, there is still no way to legally obtain cannabis within the state unless a patient has a licensed caregiver or their personal cultivation license.
Most estimated time lines show dispensaries will open and have products available in late spring or early summer, dependent on the initial success of cultivators.
For more information about the medical marijuana program in Missouri, go to: http://medicalmarijuana.mo.gov.
Charlea Estes-Jones
It's official: Cassville will be the site of a medical marijuana cultivation operation in 2020. Holistic Missouri, LLC, part of the larger Holistic Industries, earned three of the coveted 60 licenses awarded across the state. The cultivation facilities Holistic Missouri applied for and received will be in Cassville, Kansas City and Sunrise Beach.
Holistic Industries has marijuana facilities in California, Maryland, Washington, D.C., Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and Michigan. It is owned by founder and CEO Josh Genderson who began the business after serving as president of his family's third-generation liquor store in Washington, D.C.
In the Missouri medical marijuana world, December was a big month. While initially, the Department of Health and Senior Services was slated to approve or deny all medical marijuana facility licenses by December 31, a new time line was released, pushing the final decision on infused manufacturing facilities and dispensaries back into January. However, for testing laboratories, transportation companies and cultivation applicants, they were notified of the fate of their applications before the end of 2019.
For the companies who have heard yes or no on the fate of their medical marijuana business ventures, Barry County had only one approval thus far. Of the cultivation, transportation and testing lab applicants across the state, the only one in Barry County that made the cut was Holistic Missouri, LLC, despite other applications being filed.
In all, Holistic Missouri applied for 13 different licenses across the state: three cultivation, seven dispensaries, and three infused manufacturing licenses.
The other applicants from Barry County for cultivation and transportation were denied. The transportation company that applied for a license was under the name SickBudz, LLC, in Wheaton. That application was denied earlier in December.
Ozark Leaf Farms, LLC, in Aurora, Samuel Myers, in Seligman, and Sho Me Genetics, LLC, in Eagle Rock, were all denied cultivation licenses.
Ozark Mountain Green, LLC, in Shell Knob, applied on the Stone County side but was also denied a cultivation license. Ozark Mountain Green's infused manufacturing license is still pending.
The next deadline for businesses hoping for licenses will be January 10 when DHSS announced they will be awarding infused manufacturing licenses. In Barry County, infused manufacturing licenses were applied for by Choice Extracts, LLC, in Monett, Holistic Missouri, LLC, and Ozark Mountain Green, LLC.
Dispensaries will be the last to hear the fate of their applications. DHSS will award or deny licensure on January 24. Barry County's dispensary applicants are: Dr. Lisa Roark, MD, under The Dispensary, LLC, in Cassville, and two in Monett under Horizon Growth, LLC, and Monett Dispensary, LLC.
Horizon Growth, LLC, also applied for a cultivation license in Pierce City but was denied. They also have applications for manufacturing in Pierce City and dispensary applications for Sunrise Beach, Lees Summit and Springfield.
Licensing Process
In all, 554 different applications were filed for cultivation licenses in the state. DHSS approved 60 licenses, the minimum number required by Article XIV in the Missouri Constitution. Should any of the 60 approved companies choose not to utilize their license, the state will move down the list of the next top scoring business.
To file an application, cultivation facilities had to show the background of each of their owners and principal officers/managers, including their history of business success, the site's security, positive economic impact on the community and other categories. Limiting some of the smaller operations, each business also had to show $200,000 in liquid capital on top of the $10,000 application fee.
The scoring system, which changed after filing opened, is the subject of multiple appeals and at least one lawsuit, claiming unfairness in the rubric system that allowed for applications of out-of-state operations preferential treatment.
Sarcoxie Nursery had a hearing on Monday, December 30. Sarcoxie Nursery, owned by the Callicoat family, went for multiple licenses, including one of the dispensaries in Monett.
Legal cannabis availability
While commercial licenses are being approved, there is still no way to legally obtain cannabis within the state unless a patient has a licensed caregiver or their personal cultivation license.
Most estimated time lines show dispensaries will open and have products available in late spring or early summer, dependent on the initial success of cultivators.
For more information about the medical marijuana program in Missouri, go to: http://medicalmarijuana.mo.gov.
