Recent News

Media Contact:
Lisa Cox
Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services
Lisa.Cox@health.mo.gov

JEFFERSON CITY, MO – The Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) is pleased to announce the release of its Missouri Medical Marijuana Regulatory Program’s annual report to the Governor. DHSS is required to annually submit a report to the Governor regarding the efficient discharge of its responsibilities under Article XIV Section 1 of the Missouri Constitution. Reported activities are based on the program year of December 6, 2018, through December 5, 2019. 

Article XIV contained several deadlines for this first program year including: begin accepting pre-file facility license applications by January 5, 2019, make all application forms and instructions publicly available by June 4, 2019, begin accepting patient, caregiver, and patient cultivation applications by July 4, 2019, and begin accepting facility applications by August 3, 2019. DHSS successfully met each of these deadlines.

“I am extremely proud of our team and the program that we have developed. It has been an honor to lead this hardworking group of dedicated team members as we bring this new industry to Missouri in a well-regulated, safe, and patient-focused program,” stated Lyndall Fraker, Director of the Section for Medical Marijuana Regulation. 

DHSS is charged with providing safe and secure access to medical marijuana for qualifying Missouri patients. During the first program year, DHSS approved 23,269 patient and caregiver applications and began the process of licensing the constitutional minimum number of regulated medical marijuana facilities. 

“As we have worked to implement this program, Missouri patients have always been our north star through every step of the way,” said Dr. Randall Williams, Director of the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. “We want to ensure that we build a program that is safe, accessible and in line with our mission of protecting the health of Missourians.”

An electronic copy of the annual report to the Governor can be viewed at medicalmarijuana.mo.gov.