Two Columbia businesses selected in Missouri’s cannabis license lottery

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Missouri’s Division of Cannabis Regulation completed its second round of marijuana microbusiness licenses this week, and two Columbia businesses made the cut.

The DCR received more than 2,000 applicants during its second application window, which ran from April 15-29. A random lottery was conducted on June 4th with the winners being announced on Wednesday. The DRC awards a total of six licenses for each of Missouri’s eight congressional districts, which includes four microbusiness wholesale licenses and two dispensary licenses. However, 57 applications were awarded this round, after the state revoked nine licenses during the first round due to ineligibility.

Lisa Cox, a spokeswoman for the Department of Health and Human Services, said it’s too early to tell if the second round was a success. Cox added that the next 60 days will be spent seeing if the licenses awarded meet the eligibility criteria .

“After that 60-day period, we publish a report that includes which eligibility criteria were cited among the microbusiness licensees in the application process as well as the numbers of licenses whose eligibility was certified versus those whose eligibility was not certified. Licenses that are not certified as eligible are subject to revocation,” Cox wrote in an email to ABC 17 News.

According to Cannabis.Mo.Gov , applicants for a microbusiness license need to meet one of the following criteria:

• Have a net worth of less than $250,000 and have had an income below 250% of the federal poverty level, or successor level, for at least three of the 10 calendar years prior to applying for a marijuana microbusiness facility license; or
• Have a valid service-connected disability card issued by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, or successor agency; or
• Be a person who has been, or a person whose parent, guardian or spouse has been arrested for, prosecuted for, or convicted of a non-violent marijuana offense, except for a conviction involving provision of marijuana to a minor, or a conviction of driving under the influence of marijuana. The arrest, charge, or conviction must have occurred at least one year prior to the effective date of this section; or
• Reside in a ZIP code or census tract area where:
  • Thirty percent or more of the population lives below the federal poverty level; or
  • The rate of unemployment is 50% higher than the state average rate of unemployment; or
  • The historic rate of incarceration for marijuana-related offenses is 50% higher than the rate for the entire state; or
• Graduated from a school district that was unaccredited, or had a similar successor designation, at the time of graduation, or has lived in a zip code containing an unaccredited school district, or similar successor designation, for three of the past five years.

Cox also says that the state provided additional guidance to applicants in an effort to curb some of the issues that arose during the first round. Some of the issues that arose during the first round.

Jimi Poe -- who was awarded a microbusiness dispensary license during the first round of application --said one of the issues is waiting on product, due to the state rules.

“I can't buy cannabis from anybody else besides another microbusiness wholesaler," Poe said. "And so I have to wait for them to get their facilities up and going and then start producing cannabis  and most of those people have to grow either from seed or have to grow from clones,”

Poe who is calling his business “816 dispensary” said that despite being awarded a license in October 2023, he will likely have to wait until November or January to get product to sell.

Of the 57 license issues in the second round, two of them were companies from Columbia, under the names of High and Tight LLC, and High Maintenance Farm LLC.

High and Tight’s designated contact is David Huckins. Huckins received a dispensary license and has 900 East Broadway listed as the address for the new dispensary. However, on Friday ABC 17 learned that Columbia Business owner Demetrios Woods had rented the property and was planning on opening a bodega at the location on Monday.

Woods says he looked into applying for a microbusiness license and the application requires you to include a prospective location where you believe you can set up your dispensary. He added that since the location had been vacant for years it was probably still available when Huckins submitted his application.

The area is already home to several businesses in Downtown Columbia, including Yellow Dog Bookshop. Joe Chevalier, the owner of Yellow Dog Bookshop says he wouldn't have been too concerned about the potential of a dispensary being opened up Downtown and didn’t think it would have impacted his business.

“I don’t have any particular opposition to it. We have plenty of bars in the area already so I don’t see a dispensary being much different than that, possibly quieter even,” Chevalier said. “I don’t see a lot of impact coming from it.”

High Maintenance Farm received a wholesale license, with Trica Naumann listed as the contact. The application has 4509 Interstate 70 Drive SE listed as the location of the company. ABC 17 News reached out to Naumann and Huckins for comment, but have yet to hear back as of Friday evening.

Check back for updates.

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