Marijuana Business Factbook 2019

111 © Copyright 2020, Marijuana Business Daily , a division of Anne Holland Ventures Inc. You may NOT copy this Factbook, or make public the data and facts contained herein, in part or in whole. For more copies or editorial permissions, contact CustomerService@MJBizDaily.com or call (720) 213-5992, ext. 1. State-By-State: Legal Overview, Market Data and Outlook | Chapter 2 MJBIZDAILY.COM SUMMARY What to watch in 2020 Missouri began awarding licenses for MMJ cultivators, processors and retailers in late 2019. Competition for the limited number of plant-touching licenses was fierce, with the state awarding licenses to just 10% to 15% of applicants. That’s triggered a handful of lawsuits from applicants that have been shut out from the industry, but the market should be on track to begin sales by late spring or early summer 2020. Marijuana Business Opportunity Rank for 2020 B+ Missouri’s medical marijuana rules are fairly business- friendly, with moderate licensing fees and fairly high caps on the number of licenses, which regulators say will be increased if necessary to meet demand. As long as patients and physicians buy in, the system should also benefit from allowing physicians to recommend medical marijuana based on their discretion rather than adhering to a list of qualifying conditions. Relative to other states, the 4% tax rate should not serve as a disincentive to participate in the legal market. On the other hand, application and licensing fees were viewed as being too high for locals―and because there are no limits on the number of licenses a business may hold, it is possible the state will see significant external investment from well- capitalized multistate operators.