"Not just people looking to get high": Dispensaries providing relief to Missourians
KIRKSVILLE, Mo. — In 2018, Missourians passed Amendment 2 for the use of medical marijuana in the state. In late 2019 and early 2020, the state began awarding licenses to dispensaries, cultivators, producers and labs. Kirksville will soon be home to a few dispensaries, but Missouri Health and Wellness is one location that is now open.
In Missouri, qualifying patients or their caregivers can purchase up to four ounces of dried, unprocessed marijuana, or its equivalent, in a 30 day period from a licensed dispensary.
The Kirksville facility has been open since March 1, and serves patients who have a medical cannabis card -- but as Missouri Health and Wellness H.R. Director and Regional Manager Kathleen Beebe says, it takes time to get these sites up and running.
"It takes a lot of effort. It definitely takes a team of consultants to put together all the information, really being thoughtful in how we want to create the business in the first place."
Missouri Health and Wellness was awarded five dispensary licenses, which is the maximum the state allows.
Just like the dispensaries need to meet certain criteria, so does the patient looking to obtain a cannabis card.
In Missouri, qualifying conditions include: cancer, epilepsy and chronic medical conditions normally treated with prescription medication that can lead to opioid dependence.
"You first have to have one of those conditions and your doctor would certify you saying you would be eligible for cannabis use. You would complete some paperwork, your doctor would complete some paperwork with you, and then you submit that to the state and they review it and issue a medical card."
The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services has 30 days to process the application.
Erik Bates, manager of the Kirksville location of Missouri Health and Wellness, says in the dispensary, his staff works with the patient to find the product that will work best for them.
"We are increasing every month on folks that are coming in. I think the word is getting out slowly but surely. I think there's some hesitation on part of our customer base in coming in here."
Beebe echoes that statement and says when it comes to cannabis use, there is a stigma to overcome in the state, and that patient privacy will always be respected.
"People do have their misconceptions about this plant. This is not just about people who are looking to get high. These are people who really have legitimate issues that traditional medicine has not helped them, and now we have the opportunity to help with that."
At the same time, the purchase of medical cannabis is helping veterans in Missouri, which was part of the ballot language in Amendment 2.
"When a patient comes in and makes a purchase, 4% of that purchase is considered a marijuana tax, and that 4% goes 100% towards veterans' programs."
But Beebe says vets are also seeing benefits from using marijuana.
"We've talked to several who may have been on a myriad of medications that they were given by their doctor that just weren't working. Now they've been able to try cannabis legally, and they have found some great relief."
The medical marijuana industry in Missouri has also created about 1,500 jobs to date, with more businesses still slated to come online.
