People in Missouri will be thrilled to learn that the state will soon have medical marijuana considering that they have been waiting quite awhile.
Missouri’s medical marijuana program administrators had awarded licenses last winter and expected products to be dispensed this summer. So far only two dispenaries have opened in St. Louis and they don’t have products yet.
Lyndall Fraker, the director of the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services section for medical marijuana regulation has said that having medical marijuana products on the shelves for patients is imminent.
Fraker has said that it is about time to harvest at a couple of medical marijuana cultivation facilities in the state that have already met requirements to grow the products.
Medical marijuana produced in the state however must go through a testing process at a testing facility before being made available to patients. And no testing facilities have opened yet.
A testing facility in eastern Missouri is close to opening, Fraker assured.
“That’s the one big piece of the puzzle. We have one testing facility that’s requested their commencement inspection, but they’re actually still waiting on some equipment,” Fraker said. “We’re ready. We know it’s important, but the ball’s in their court on that.”
As of Monday this week, the division had approved 61,541 patient and caregiver applications.
“I believe a lot of people know we’re really close to having dispensaries open,” Fraker said. “Cultivation facilities are running and growing products. So a lot of those people that maybe waited until they could buy the products and aren’t home-cultivating or something — they’re signing up now.
“We kind of expected a pretty impactful time right now, with that one-year renewal, plus facilities are getting ready to open up.”
The division anticipates being really busy in September, October and November, as more and more facilities are expected to come online, Fraker added.
