Plans fall through for lone Ozark County marijuana facility applicant
Of the 2,163 medical marijuana facility applications filed with the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services by the Aug. 19 deadline, only one proposed to bring a medical marijuana business to Ozark County. And now it looks like that applicant’s plans have fallen through.
According to a DHSS press release, 2,163 applications were filed by those hoping to operate businesses that would grow, sell, manufacture, test and transport medical marijuana and cannabis-infused products in Missouri. Those applications are now being processed, and the top-scoring 60 cultivation facilities, 192 dispensary facilities and 86 medical marijuana-infused manufacturing facilities will be initially licensed to do business in Missouri. The department said it will award or deny a license and/or certification within 150 days of a complete application’s submission.
Lance Martin, owner of Alien Infusions LLC, applied as an “infused product manufacturer” that would produce edible and cosmetic products containing cannabis, including chocolates, gummies, infused butter, salves and vaporizer cartridges. Martin, who resides in Protem but frequents the Theodosia area, planned to locate the business in Theodosia, but he has been unable to secure a location.
A stipulation in Amendment 2, the legislation approved by voters in 2018 that legalized marijuana for medical purposes, states that medical marijuana facilities located within less than 1,000 feet of a school or church must be approved by the local government. Martin approached the Theodosia Village Board at its October meeting about using a building located about 750 feet from Lutie School, but the board tabled the issue until it received more information, said Margo Maglione, village board clerk.
In the meantime, Martin found a 3,000-square-foot restaurant space in Mountain View, Missouri. If granted the license, he now plans to locate the business there instead.
“I wish we could be in Ozark County, but at the end of the day we just want to be where God wants us to be,” said Martin, who also searched for a commercial building in Gainesville but was unable to find one. “It’s just sad that you can’t put a decent amount of income into a community” said Martin.
DHSS communications director Lisa Cox said 17,016 Missourians have applied as medical marijuana patients, and 449 have applied as “caregivers” who can grow or purchase marijuana for a patient. As of Oct. 18, 14,979 of those applications had been approved.
While it seems unlikely that a medical marijuana facility will open here anytime soon, local patients seeking marijuana products may not have to travel far. Ozark County’s neighbors showed significantly more interest in the cannabis trade, with 13 facility applications in Howell County, 21 in Taney County and 13 in Douglas County. However, it will still be several months until those facilities can be licensed and open for business, so Ozark Countians seeking the medicinal benefits of cannabis may have to grow their own – if they qualify to do so.
At this time, “Patients and caregivers who also applied as patient/caregiver cultivators are able to grow at home,“ said Cox. For more information about medical marijuana in Missouri, visit https://health.mo.gov/safety/medical-marijuana/index.php.