Almost three years after Missouri allowed marijuana dispensaries to open to the general public 21 and older, the state’s marijuana microbusiness program is now gaining momentum.
Microbusinesses operate on a smaller scale than other dispensaries. And the state’s program is designed to help disadvantaged residents join Missouri's weed industry.
Business owners must meet at least one of several criteria, such as having a previous nonviolent marijuana conviction, a disability or living in specific ZIP codes.
The state’s very first microdispensary, 816 Dispensary in Platte City, opened this June. But it won its license all the way back in October 2023.
Missouri’s program faced challenges getting started: many licenses awarded through the lottery system have been revoked as a result of predatory practices or because owners don’t meet eligibility criteria.
And that’s not to mention that a business takes time to set up, and marijuana plants take time to grow.
As of August 1, only five micro wholesalers and two micro dispensaries have been approved to operate by the state. As a result, 816 Dispensary is more limited for now on the number and variety of products it can sell.
“When medical first started six years ago, they were in the same boat that we are, like, they opened the doors with two or three strands of flower, and that’s all they had,” said Jimi Poe, owner of 816 Dispensary.
The main difference there, Poe said, is that the medical industry had bigger facilities manufacturing products.
- Jimi Poe, 816 Dispensary
- Daphne Cook, Blüme Craft Cannabis
