The Missouri Cannabis Industry Association (MoCIA) held its first seminar last weekend (February 23, 2019) in St. Charles, Mo at the Grand Opera House Banquet Center. They had an assortment of professionals covering a broad range of topics including; an overview of Article 14 of the Missouri State Constitution, accounting advice specific to cannabis businesses, as well as business owners (from states that already have legal medical cannabis programs) sharing their experiences.
The highlight of the day was a Q&A session led by Dr. Randall W. Williams, Director of the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS). Dr. Williams shared that over 30,000 suggestions for the rule making process had already been received. He then encouraged attendees to continue to make suggestions.
Dr. Williams mentioned several times that his intention was to uphold the Missouri Constitution by enabling patient access to medical cannabis within the given time frames. He also shared that he was encouraged to find that legal medical cannabis does not lead to increased crime rates. Dr. Williams went on to field questions for over an hour before the seminar was brought to a close.
In all, I’m encouraged that DHSS seems to have the patients’ best interests in mind. It also felt like the infant industry in this state is starting to build a little momentum. Let’s hope Missouri’s medical cannabis program is put together in the right way.