A review of Missouri’s cannabis microbusiness license eligibility

JEFFERSON CITY, MO – With the passage of Amendment 3 in November 2022, the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) was tasked with granting a limited number of new small business licenses called “microbusinesses.”

These licenses are small businesses that are designed to allow marginalized or under-represented individuals to participate in the legal marijuana market. The Missouri Constitution provides that individuals who meet at least one of the eligibility criteria set forth in Article XIV, Section 2, may apply for a marijuana microbusiness facility license. On Oct. 2, 2023, the department issued 48 total licenses: 32 wholesale and 16 dispensary facilities.

Per Section 12 of Article XIV, the chief equity officer is to conduct the eligibility review within 60 days of issuance of the licenses and make the results available to the public. The review was completed Dec. 1, and results are available at Cannabis.Mo.Gov. The report includes which eligibility criteria were cited among the microbusiness licensees in the application process as well as the numbers of licenses whose eligibility was certified versus those whose eligibility was not certified.

Licenses that are not certified as eligible are subject to revocation. Notices of pending revocation provide a 30-day response period, in accordance with Article XIV and 19 CSR 100-1, during which licensees may submit records or information demonstrating why the licensee is eligible and should not be revoked. All revoked licenses will be added to the available licenses awarded in the next application timeframe.

The department will issue a minimum of 96 additional microbusiness licenses in two separate lotteries conducted by the Missouri Lottery. Applications for the second of three total rounds are tentatively scheduled to begin in March 2024 with licenses to be issued in July.

For more information about microbusiness licensing and application requirements, visit Cannabis.Mo.Gov.