Department will release applicants, but not applications

The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services will be releasing a list of applicants soon, but will not be releasing full applications.

“The Department is prohibited from providing copies of applications because Article XIV, Section 1.3.(5) of the Missouri Constitution requires the Department to ‘maintain the confidentiality of reports or other information obtained from an applicant…’,” the Department said in an email. “See also 610.021(14), RSMo.”

“In Cole County case no. 19AC-CC00053, the circuit court recognized this confidentiality provision but determined that it does not apply to applicant ‘Identifying Information,’ which the court defined as ‘applicant’s name, address, telephone numbers, and type of license applied for,'” the Department said. “Consistent with the court’s determination, the attached spreadsheet contains the identifying information of medical marijuana facility applicants.”

This applicant list will soon be made publicly available on their website at medicalmarijuana.mo.gov, and updates to this list will be shown on this site as they become available.

This information changes the tone of what many believed would be publicly available from applications and has provided a wave of relief for those with security or intellectual property concerns. Over the past year, Seattle has witnessed an onslaught of craft cultivator robberies, reported by Politico Magazine.

It is yet to be determined what will be available to the public regarding those with awarded licenses. The state department of health maintains licenses for a number of other businesses, including hospitals, nursing homes, childcare, and labs, amongst others. The information currently available from the state from those with state licenses includes name, address, type of license, phone number, license number, license effective date(s), and license status. In some cases, an administrator or primary contact is listed.

DHSS is one of few departments of Missouri that manages licenses.