State releases list of sites where medical marijuana will be grown in our region

Nearly a dozen applications to grow medical marijuana in the seven-county region have been denied by the state, although other Southeast Missouri locations were approved.

Missouri’s Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) released a list late Thursday of 60 approved applications from among more than 500 that had been submitted earlier this year from those interested in cultivating marijuana as part of the state’s medical marijuana program approved by Missouri voters in November 2018.

Approved applicants had scores 1479 or higher in most cases.

In Southeast Missouri, DHSS approved medical marijuana cultivation applications from Organic Remedies MO Inc. in Chaffee, FUJM LLC and Archimedes Medical Holdings LLC, both in Perryville, Bootheel CannaCare LLC in Caruthersville and GF Saint Mary LLC in St. Mary.

Applicants denied from the seven-county region and their scores included:

Two separate proposals from Medical Solutions of Missouri, LLC of Ellington, with scores of 1406.35 and 1398.75

Back to Earth, LLC, Harviell, 1400.14

Poplar Bluff proposals from Teal Farms II, LL, 275 County Road 3231, 1347.77 and Ozark Wellness 888 County Road 524, 1259.00

Three proposals from Ozark Med Manufacturing LLC, with three different locations, 2657 Merva Road, Poplar Bluff, 1197.50; 644 Ridgeview Lane Poplar Bluff, 1170.90; and Fairdealing, 1201.50

WAYNECOGREENS LLC, Silva, 1308.21

Paradigm Missouri, Piedmont, 1292.37

Green Health Organics LLC, Dexter, 1276.20

All applicants were required to complete an extensive application process and submit responses to essay questions about their business plans, experience, ownership, financial organizations and so forth.

According to DHSS, all applications were evaluated using a “blind” scoring process. Applications that were not approved were denied for several reasons, according to DHSS, including “failure to meet minimum qualifications, the result of an analysis for substantial common control, the result of application scoring, or application withdrawal.”

“Throughout this entire process, it has been important to us to be fair and transparent as we implement all pieces of this program,” said Lyndall Fraker, director of the DHSS section on medical marijuana regulations. Fraker explained in a statement issued with the list of approved cultivation applicants the application scorer had no access to identifying information about any of the applicants.

Earlier this month, DHSS released lists of approved medical marijuana testing facility applications and approved applications for cannabis transportation. The agency is scheduled to announce approved manufacturing and dispensary applications in January.

More information about Missouri’s medical marijuana program, including lists of approved and denied applications and details about the license application process itself, can be found at the DHSS website, health.mo.gov.