Medical-marijuana-cultivation facilities in Southeast Missouri among those approved by state

It appears medical-grade marijuana will be grown in or near several Southeast Missouri communities, but not in the Cape Girardeau or Jackson areas.

Missouri’s Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) released a list late Thursday of 60 approved applications from among more than 500 that had been submitted earlier this year from those interested in cultivating marijuana as part of the state’s medical marijuana program approved by Missouri voters in November 2018.

Earlier this month, DHSS released lists of approved medical marijuana testing facility applications and approved applications for cannabis transportation. The agency is scheduled to announce approved manufacturing and dispensary applications in January.

In Southeast Missouri, DHSS approved medical marijuana cultivation applications from Organic Remedies MO Inc. in Chaffee, FUJM LLC and Archimedes Medical Holdings LLC, both in Perryville, Bootheel CannaCare LLC in Caruthersville and GF Saint Mary LLC in St. Mary.

Among applications from potential growers in Southeast Missouri denied by DHSS were three applications from Dishi LLC and one from GOMO LLC, both in Cape Girardeau, and one application from Sanctuary Medicinals of Missouri LLC in Jackson.

DHSS also denied applications from several other Southeast Missouri applicants including Holistic Health Capital LLC in Perryville; Green Health Organics LLC in Dexter; Grow 573 LLC and Bootheel Botanicals Inc., both of Sikeston; Premier Releaf LLC and Hayti Investments LLC in Hayti; Missouri Delta Cannabis Company LLC and Cresco Labs Missouri LLC, both in Caruthersville; and Teal Farms II LLC, Ozark Med Manufacturing LLC and Ozark Wellness, all in Poplar Bluff. A second application from Ozark Remedies MO in Chaffee was also denied.

All applicants were required to complete an extensive application process and submit responses to essay questions about their business plans, experience, ownership, financial organizations and so forth.

According to DHSS, all applications were evaluated using a “blind” scoring process. Applications that were not approved were denied for several reasons, according to DHSS, including “failure to meet minimum qualifications, the result of an analysis for substantial common control, the result of application scoring, or application withdrawal.”

“Throughout this entire process, it has been important to us to be fair and transparent as we implement all pieces of this program,” said Lyndall Fraker, director of the DHSS section on medical marijuana regulations. Fraker explained in a statement issued with the list of approved cultivation applicants the application scorer had no access to identifying information about any of the applicants.

More information about Missouri’s medical marijuana program, including lists of approved and denied applications and details about the license application process itself, can be found at the DHSS website, health.mo.gov.

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