The sale of marijuana for recreational use began earlier than expected in Jefferson County and across the state.
The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) informed dispensaries on Feb. 3 that comprehensive licenses had been approved, allowing for the sale of marijuana and marijuana-infused products to customers 21 years and older.
Those with medical marijuana cards already could buy marijuana at dispensaries around the state.
However, dispensaries were allowed on Dec. 8 to start applying for comprehensive licenses to sell both medical and recreational marijuana. The DHSS, which had 60 days to review the requests, was not expected to approve adult-use sales of recreational marijuana until Monday, Feb. 6.
DHSS moved up its timeline, though, and on Feb. 3, it reported that 207 dispensaries in the state had been approved to sell marijuana for both medical and adult recreational use, with 196 approved to start selling to both customer classifications that day.
Six dispensaries in Jefferson County received approval to sell adult-use marijuana and began selling it on Feb. 3.
The DHSS also announced that 72 manufacturers and 56 cultivators across the state received comprehensive licenses.
“We are at the end of prohibition of cannabis in Missouri,” said Neil Volner, vice president of North Medical Dispensary, which has two locations in Jefferson County. “We are happy to be at the forefront of it and able to serve our community.”
North Medical’s dispensaries are at 929 Peachtree Plaza Drive in Hillsboro and 1709 Hwy. Z in Pevely.
Other dispensaries in the county that received approval to sell recreational marijuana include N’Bliss, with locations at 2285 Hwy. 67 in Festus and 3 Walters Place in House Springs; Star Buds at 1168 W. Gannon Drive in Festus; and Good Day Farm at 1229 Imperial Main Street.
“We expect to see two to five times more customers a day,” said Adam Mire, general manager at the N’Bliss in House Springs. “We typically served about 200 people on our busies days.”
Volner and Mire said they received confirmation that their dispensaries were allowed to sell to both medical and adult customers early in the morning on Feb. 3.
Mire said his company was notified at about 6:15 a.m., and the N’Bliss locations opened at 8 a.m.
“We didn’t have a line when we opened,” he said. “It took about 15 minutes for people to start coming in, and it was steady all day. We also had an increase in online orders.”
Gary Farrell, 68, of Fenton was one of the customers to purchase recreational-use marijuana at the N’Bliss in House Springs on Feb. 3.
He said while he would have qualified for a medical marijuana card, he never applied to get one. Farrell also said he is happy Missouri dispensaries are now allowed to sell marijuana to adults.
“It is so much less of a hassle,” Farrell said. “This is great. You can walk through the door, pick up what you want and go on about your business.”
While it is legal for adults to purchase marijuana, there are still limits.
Customers may purchase and carry no more than 3 ounces of marijuana at a time. Those with medical marijuana cards are allowed to purchase up to 6 ounces over a 30-day period, according to DHSS.
Seth Barger, 40, of Otto also bought recreational marijuana at N’Bliss in House Springs that day.
He said he did not register for a medical marijuana card and is happy to be able to purchase the product legally.
“It was amazing,” he said. “I’ve been out in California and dispensaries there, and it is great not having to go thousands of miles or more than 50 miles to Illinois to get it. This is way better.”
Mire and Volner said the operation at their dispensaries will not change much after adding the sales of recreational marijuana, although both predicted they would be serving more customers and generating more revenue.
Leonard Volner, the president of North Medical, said he expects to see about five times more customers per month and revenue increase by about 2.5 percent per month.
“We were serving about 750 customers with medical marijuana cards a month,” he said, adding that North Medical may serve about 3,750 customers a month at each of its locations.
Tax revenue
Missouri charges a 6-cent sales tax on recreational marijuana sales, along with the regular sales taxes that already had been in place before Missouri voters approved a constitutional amendment in November that made it legal to sell recreational marijuana to those 21 and older.
The state taxes medical marijuana sales at an additional 4 percent.
Numerous municipalities throughout the state are asking voters in April to approve an additional 3-cent sales tax on recreational marijuana sales. Municipalities are not allowed to impose a sales tax on medical marijuana sales, which are used to fund the medical marijuana program and support the Missouri Veterans Commission.
In Jefferson County, Festus, Herculaneum, Hillsboro and Pevely are seeking approval for the additional sales tax.
It’s up to the various cities to decide how to use the local tax revenue from recreational marijuana sales, but DHSS is required to use a portion of the tax revenue to run its recreational-use program.
The state will use part of the revenue from its 6-cent sales tax to carry out marijuana crime expungements required under the law and then divide the rest equally to help fund substance abuse treatment programs, the state public defender’s office and support the Missouri Veterans Commission.
Caution
The DHSS warned consumers to use cannabis with caution and to review the health effects before consuming marijuana and marijuana-infused products.
In a Feb. 3 written statement, DHSS officials reminded consumers they should not drive while under the influence of marijuana, noting it remains illegal and dangerous because marijuana can slow a driver’s reaction time, affect a driver’s ability to make decisions and distort a driver’s perception.
Officials also said people should not use cannabis while they’re pregnant, and consumers should not allow anyone younger than 21 access to cannabis.
The DHSS also warned that the effects of edibles – marijuana-infused food and drink products – typically take longer to be felt, and the intoxicating effects may last longer than smoked cannabis.
“The No. 1 lesson is edibles go low and slow,” Leonard Volner said. “You cannot un-eat an edible.”
The department also warned that edibles, which may look like gummies, chocolates and sodas, can be mistaken for regular food and should be properly stored so they are not mistakenly ingested by children, other adults and pets.
Law enforcement
Jefferson County Sheriff Dave Marshak said his department has been preparing for recreational marijuana to be legalized since medical marijuana was approved by voters in November 2018.
He said the Sheriff’s Office expects to see an increase in impaired driving cases involving marijuana, based on data from other states that have approved recreational use.
“We’ve invested in the recruitment and training of officers, and we now have four Drug Recognition Experts (DRE) at the Sheriff’s Office,” he said. “DREs have in-depth training, certifications and skills to effectively evaluate impaired drivers under the influence of marijuana. We have them embedded in our DWI unit and the road patrol. Their expertise will help identify drivers under the influence of marijuana, but most importantly, give credibility to courtroom testimony in criminal trials.
“I have requested an additional grant-funded position through the state of Missouri to help support our DWI unit beginning later this year. Currently, the DWI unit has four officers and a supervisor, but I believe we must have additional resources to counter the expected increase of driving offenses.”
