DHSS rolls out Verified Dispensary initiative

JEFFERSON CITY, MO -- The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS), Division of Cannabis Regulation, is implementing a new initiative designed to help cannabis patients and consumers identify licensed dispensaries and cannabis products regulated by DHSS. The Verified Dispensary: We’re on the List initiative provides tools to support informed purchasing decisions, including a state-issued decal linked to an interactive dispensary location map and guidance on identifying regulated cannabis products.  

“Missourians should have the opportunity to make informed decisions about where they access cannabis products, if they choose to do so. The Verified Dispensary decal indicates that a cannabis business is licensed and regulated by the state and that its products meet stringent regulatory requirements for health and safety. These new resources will help the public identify regulated facilities and products,” said Division Director Amy Moore.

How to identify a Verified Dispensary and regulated cannabis product:

• Look for the Verified Dispensary: We’re on the List decal in the store window and/or a state license inside the facility. Use the QR code on the decal to access an interactive map of licensed dispensary locations on the DHSS website.
• Look at the licensed dispensary map before you go.
• Look at the packaging before you buy or consume a marijuana product.
• Products will be in a child-resistant package, and both the package and product will be designed to protect against accidental ingestion by children.
• Will not include the shape (or any part of the shape) of a realistic or cartoon human, animal or fruit.
• Will not mimic common candy or cookie brands.
• Product label will include a license number beginning with MAN, CUL, DIS, MBW, MBD or TES. This indicates the regulated facility that grew, manufactured or tested the product. You can verify these facility numbers using the online lookup tool to ensure the product is from a licensed source. See the “How to identify regulated marijuana products in Missouri” guide for more information.

What it means to be regulated:

Missouri’s licensed cannabis industry operates under a comprehensive system designed to protect patient and consumer safety. Requirements include:

• Multiple facility inspections each year.
• Seed-to-sale inventory tracking.
• 24/7 video surveillance and security controls.
• State review and approval of packaging and labeling.
• Mandatory product testing for potency, contaminants such as mold and pesticides, heavy metals, residual solvents from manufacturing processes, and more.
• Employee and owner background screenings.

Cannabis sold in Missouri’s regulated market must be cultivated, manufactured, tested and transported within the state.

Tax revenue generated by cannabis sales supports the Missouri Veterans Commission, the Missouri State Public Defender System, and substance use disorder education, prevention and treatment.

For additional questions about whether a facility is licensed by the Division of Cannabis Regulation, patients and consumers are encouraged to contact its call center at 1-866-219-0165 (9 a.m. to 4 p.m. CST Monday-Friday).

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