The state is one of several to advance legal marijuana in the midterms
Missouri was one of the two states that obtained positive results in the midterm elections regarding the legalization of recreational marijuana. Not even a week has passed since the results were released and regulators seem to be getting down to work. It has been reported that draft rules have already been published, hinting at how fast the process could be if this pace is maintained.
It’s been just a couple of days since Show Me State voters gave the green light to legalizing cannabis on the ballot and already the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) has taken its first steps. After releasing draft regulations for this lucrative and growing market, the agency opened a public comment period.
DHHS has been selected as the regulatory entity over the program as well as the one responsible for issuing commercial marijuana licenses. In August it was confirmed that legalization would be on the ballot and since then, in hopes of a positive outcome, DHHS began the initial work to prepare the rules. Indeed, the work was not in vain, as the majority of residents gave a thumbs up to the proposal.
With the draft rules now published, officials are calling for state residents to take their time and submit comments over the next two weeks. As usual, all that feedback is used by regulators to give them extra help in finalizing the rules and finding a middle ground that benefits all parties involved in the market. In addition, starting December 8, the DHHS Division of Cannabis Regulation will begin accepting applications from medical cannabis dispensaries that also want to be part of the recreational market.