Missouri cannabis microbusiness licenses are the latest trend for the cannabis business in the state. With the DHSS putting a stop to commercial licenses, microbusiness licenses are a welcome affair for Missourians.
Missouri has 219 licenses currently including testing, processing, cultivation, and manufacturing. As a “limited license state,” Missouri has set a cap on the number of active licenses that can be held for the following commercial license categories: testing, processing, manufacturing, and growing.
The Division of Cannabis Regulation (DCR), which oversees the legalization of cannabis in Missouri, a division of the state’s Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) has announced the soon to apply for microbusiness licenses.
Let’s comprehend what a microbusiness license is. A microbusiness license can be either a microbusiness dispensary license or a microbusiness wholesale license, both of which can operate in Missouri’s adult-use and medicinal marijuana markets. A microbusiness was created to give people who might not otherwise be able to own a facility in the Missouri cannabis sector the chance to do so.
It differs from a medical or complete (medical and adult-use) license. Just keep in mind that the licenses were created to assist those who would not otherwise have the opportunity as we go into more detail about the standards you must complete to be eligible for a microbusiness license in Missouri.
During the first round of lottery-based microbusiness licenses, 48 licenses will be issued, six each for eight congressional districts. The detailed application for these licenses requires all the information about the ownership, finances, personal details, and location where the dispensary will operate.
The location of the cannabis microbusiness is very special in Missouri state. The state mandates clear requirements about the place where cannabis microbusiness can be located, the size of the outlet, etc.
Let us delve into the location requirements:
Cannabis dispensary location: Cannabis microbusiness license applicants in Missouri must have the location within the district they are applying the license for. You cannot sell marijuana goods to other marijuana businesses with a license to purchase marijuana or items infused with marijuana from any other businesses that are legally allowed to sell marijuana.
In other words, microbusinesses are only able to make money from the goods they produce and provide for retail sale on-site. Therefore, operating in locations where marijuana is not currently legal for retail sale is advantageous for small enterprises.
Where can you open a cannabis microbusiness: Most state lawmakers are opposed to cannabis outlets being situated close to public places like playgrounds, schools, churches, and other gathering places.
A microbusiness-licensed facility must be situated more than 1,000 feet from a church, creche, elementary, or secondary school. The distance is the shortest legally feasible footpath between the two locations. It may be possible for this distance to be less than 1000 feet according to local laws and regulations.
These restrictions vary in each district. Consult your local jurisdiction before opening a dispensary in Missouri to make sure your cannabis application won’t be turned down on these grounds.
Location size: Minimum size of a cannabis microbusiness vary according to the district in Missouri. In general, you are expected to have at least 500 square feet of built-in facility to start your microbusiness. While many outlets vary between 500-2000 square feet based on the congressional district, the maximum size allowed is 2000 square feet. Since microbusiness license is aimed at the lesser privileged sections of people, the accepted size of the facility has been reduced.
Operations at the location: All operations and all material, product, or equipment storage must take place inside properly secured building structures or outdoors on the property in a secure area surrounded by a fence that complies with the City’s fencing type, height, and setback criteria. Outdoor operations or storage are only permitted for marijuana cultivation facilities, microbusiness wholesale facilities, and marijuana transportation facilities to the degree permitted by State restrictions. All other marijuana facilities are not permitted to store marijuana outdoors.
What is a good location for a dispensary: While this is a very tricky question to deal with, you can do due diligence to see which parts of the state/city/district are doing the highest sales volumes to find what a good location is. Since recreational cannabis is legalized, the state has been having a boost in cannabis sales. The best bet is to choose a location where most of the customers visit and identify the most popular products like vape pens, and edibles.
How to get approval for your location: Follow all the local, state, and federal security compliances like alarms, surveillance cameras, barriers to perimeter access, maintaining a strict in/out process, establishing processes to deal with thefts, etc.
Before you can begin using your cannabis manufacturing facility, you might need to secure municipal approvals, depending on where you are. You will have to meet with the local bodies and hold public meetings to stand a good chance of being approved.
Getting your cannabis microbusiness application process through and getting approvals for location is a tough job. We at Cure8 can help you plan, prepare, and procure all that you need to apply.
Reach out to find out more.
