Cannabis dispensaries in Columbia started selling recreational marijuana to people over the age of 21 Tuesday.
The dispensaries within Columbia city limits were set back a few days because the City Council did not approve an ordinance allowing medical marijuana facilities to convert their licenses to also sell recreational marijuana until their regular meeting Feb. 6.
Dispensaries outside of city limits could start as soon as Feb. 3 if their licenses were approved by the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services.
“I mean, we would have liked to have gone on Friday with everybody else,” Nick Rinella, CEO of Hippos Marijuana Dispensary said, “but we gotta be happy about the present and the future. We are just gonna move forward. And we’re happy that we can serve the customers of Columbia now.”
Team lead, Ayanna Roberts, speaks with a customer purchasing recreational marijuana Monday at Green Releaf Dispensary in Columbia. Green Releaf has been open since 2021, and previously sold only medicinal products.
Anna Griffin/Missourian
After voters approved Amendment 3 in November, Missourians over 21 years old were allowed to have up to 3 ounces of marijuana starting Dec. 8. Businesses could also apply for a “comprehensive” license starting Dec. 8 that would allow them to sell both medical and recreational marijuana.
Originally, many anticipated sales would begin on Feb. 6. However, in a Feb. 2 news release, the department announced it would allow sales as early as Feb. 3 if businesses’ licenses were approved.
Rinella said in a news release that his team worked hard for Feb. 6 and they were excited for opening day. But when the department allowed sales as early as Feb. 3 and Columbia had not approved the ordinance yet, Rinella said it “definitely hurt sales.”
More than $12 million worth of product was sold by marijuana dispensaries across the state over the weekend, according to a news release from the Missouri Cannabis Trade Association, and $8.5 million was bought by recreational users.
Lead budtender Tyrel White sells Sundro flower on Tuesday at Hippos Dispensary in Columbia. Hippos sells a range of cannabis items from edibles to flower.
Anna Griffin/Missourian
Although Rinella lost sales, he said he is glad anyone over 21 years old can buy legal cannabis, and said there is no longer a prohibition on marijuana.
He added that the people who used to buy marijuana through the black market are now able to go into dispensaries like Hippos to buy safe, tested products.
“When you’re buying stuff on the black market, you don’t know what pesticides or what are the things that have been sprayed on it,” Rinella said. “You go into a licensed dispensary, all of the products have been tested, they’re safe, and you can feel comfortable and confident consuming.”
