DHSS publishes draft rules for Missouri’s adult use cannabis program

Following the majority of Missourians’ vote on Tuesday to adopt Constitutional Amendment 3, the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) has published the first draft of program rules for adult use of cannabis for those ages 21 and up in Missouri.

Per Amendment 3, DHSS is the agency assigned with regulatory authority over the program just as it has led the state’s medical marijuana program since 2018. The parallel programs are now being managed within the department’s Division of Cannabis Regulation.

As part of its effort to gather all relevant input, the Division of Cannabis Regulation is encouraging feedback from the public regarding the program’s draft rules over the next two weeks. It is expected that the final version of these rules will be filed for formal rulemaking in February, prior to the licensing of comprehensive (medical and adult use cannabis) facilities. Suggestions for this initial draft may be submitted through the online suggestion form.

On Dec. 8, the Division of Cannabis Regulation will begin accepting requests for existing medical facility licensees to convert to a comprehensive facility. Because the department has 60 days from receipt to review and approve those requests, adult-use product should be available as early as February 2023.

Applications for consumer personal cultivation will be accepted as early as Feb. 6. Once approved, this will allow authorized persons, who are at least 21 years of age, to cultivate plants for personal, non-commercial use within an enclosed locked facility at their residence.

Additional FAQs, Amendment 3 language and continual program updates can be found at the Division of Cannabis Regulation website.

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