Recent News

Media Contact:
Sami Jo Freeman
Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services
 

JEFFERSON CITY, MO – Article XIV, Section 2, of the Missouri Constitution requires the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) to appoint a chief equity officer within the Division of Cannabis Regulation (DCR). Lesley Turek began employment as the chief equity officer in June 2024. Turek is charged with the development and implementation of programs to inform the public of the opportunities available to those people who meet the criteria for a cannabis microbusiness license. The chief equity officer is an integral part of ensuring the social and economic equity requirements of Article XIV Section 2 are fully realized.

Per Article XIV, the chief equity officer is to provide a report to the department, no later than Jan. 1, 2025, and annually thereafter, of their and the department's activities in ensuring compliance with the applicant criteria set forth in Article XIV, Section 2.4(12), and the department shall provide the report to the legislature. The Chief Equity Officer Activity Report 2024 is available now at Cannabis.Mo.Gov. The report details the activities surrounding the microbusiness license program, including the second round of licensing, outreach efforts, application resources and aggregate applicant data. 

The department will issue a minimum of 144 total microbusiness licenses in three separate lotteries conducted by the Missouri Lottery. The timeline for the third round of applications is currently in the planning stages.

For more information about microbusiness licensing and application requirements, visit Cannabis.Mo.Gov. 

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The Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) promotes health and safety in Missouri through prevention, collaboration, education, innovation and response. The vision of DHSS is the optimal health and safety for all Missourians, in all communities, for life. Learn more at health.mo.gov.