Missouri medical marijuana complaints spike 70%

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Licensing appeals by medical marijuana companies that were denied licenses to operate in the state have reached more than 800, roughly a 70% increase in about two weeks.

At least 845 appeals have been filed with Missouri’s Administrative Hearing Commission.

That is about a 69% jump from late February, when more than 500 appeals had been filed.

Missouri received 2,266 medical marijuana applications from at least 700 different groups to grow, sell or distribute MMJ in the state.

The state awarded:

  • 60 licenses to grow medical marijuana.
  • 86 to manufacture MMJ-infused products.
  • 192 to operate medical cannabis dispensaries.

A large number of the licenses went to large, multistate operators and not smaller, local companies, which was a catalyst for many of the complaints.

Many of the rejected applicants claimed a third-party scoring operator, Nevada-based Wise Health Solutions, was inconsistent in its application evaluations.

– Associated Press