DHSS marks one year since sales of cannabis for adult, non-medical use began in Missouri

JEFFERSON CITY, MO – Feb. 3, 2024, marked one year since sales of cannabis for adult, non-medical use began in Missouri. The Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS), Division of Cannabis Regulation (DCR) and the cannabis industry continue to evolve. Outlined below are a few highlights from the past year.

• Emergency rules to implement the new law were established on February 3, 2023, and final rules went into effect on July 30, 2023.
• DHSS transferred $3,836,919 in funds generated by Missouri’s adult use marijuana program to agencies as outlined in Article XIV, Section 2, including $1,278,973 to each of the following beneficiaries: the Missouri Veterans Commission (MVC), the DHSS Substance Use Disorder grants program, (SUD) and the Missouri State Public Defender System. The amount transferred to the MVC was in addition to $13 million from Missouri’s medical marijuana program. In total, $41,257,793 has been transferred to the MVC since the cannabis program was formed in late 2018.
• The DCR has grown from approximately 50 staff members to almost 150 to meet its new and more complex responsibilities under the law. Click here to see the organization chart and function list for the DCR.
• The first 48 microbusiness licenses were awarded and the Chief Equity Officer Eligibility Review was published.

To stay informed about further developments in Missouri’s regulation of cannabis, the public may be interested in several new communication avenues the DCR has created to ensure that Missouri licensees, microbusiness applicants, patients, consumers, and others are getting the information and resources they need.

“We are excited to make a newsletter, podcast and email subscriptions available to those who are interested in the Division of Cannabis Regulation. Communication and transparency are important to us, and these are just a few ways we hope to enhance that,” said Amy Moore, director of DCR.

• Email Subscription:  Individuals can subscribe to receive email communications from DCR on various topics. Individuals may unsubscribe at any time.
• The Cannabis Connection newsletter: The newsletter is published quarterly and is “Your information link to Missouri’s Division of Cannabis Regulation”.

• The DCR Podcast: A monthly high-level view of the happenings in cannabis regulation in Missouri.

• Microbusiness Event Calendar:  The calendar includes scheduled microbusiness outreach and educational events.

For more information about the Division of Cannabis Regulation, you may visit Cannabis.Mo.Gov.