From
Editor
From
As we end another year , our fifth for this magazine , and celebrate the holidays and another new year , reflecting on all that ’ s happened over the past five years is fun . It ’ s both historic and unforgettable .
First , it was barely four years ago when the first legal Missouri medical cannabis sale took place . The exact date was October 17 , 2020 , when N ’ Bliss Cannabis of St . Louis opened to long lines of patients and made the historic first legal Missouri sale .
Next , on the Western side of the state , Fresh Green KC opened its first dispensary in Lee ’ s Summit , MO , on October 19 , 2020 . Once again , patients thankfully stood in block-long lines , anxious to walk through the door for their first legal purchases . At that time , only small amounts of flower and a few edibles were available for sale . Today , literally thousands of products are available , and more new products continue to be released monthly ( some featured in this issue ). Plus , there are now 211 dispensaries state-wide open for business , and while all are very busy daily , the long lines are history .
On December 7 , 2022 , Missouri Constitutional Amendment 3 became a reality , legalizing adult-use marijuana sales . Over one million people voted in favor of Missouri becoming the 20th state to legalize adult-use marijuana . In February 2023 , the first legal adult-use sale took place , resulting in medical and adult-use marijuana cumulative sales of over 300 million in just two years ( per sales reported Oct . 2020 through Sept . 2024 ).
As of February 2023
● Adult-use buyers , age 21 plus , may purchase up to three ( 3 ) ounces and possess six ( 6 ) ounces .
● Medical patients can purchase six ounces and possess 12 ounces unless they are a cultivator , and then it would be 18 ounces .
● Every Missourian may grow up to 18 plants and may “ gift ” ( not sell ) up to three ( 3 ) ounces to another adult .
Beginning in early 2025 , consumers will have even more options to purchase when the new cultivation , manufacturing , and dispensary Microbusinesses open . Stay tuned for more about them in future issues .
If you have yet to visit a dispensary , you will be quite amazed . These are not your proverbial “ Pot Shops ,” but instead , hi-tech facilities that include everything from state-of-the-art security to magnificent interior design , tablet and electronic menu boards , fantastic display cases , and streamlined checkout procedures .
What you don ’ t see are the hi-tech and state-of-the-art cultivation , manufacturing , and testing labs that make it possible to fill those dispensary shelves with products / medicines . These businesses have spent millions to build and operate their businesses , ultimately providing you with the best possible and safest medicines found anywhere in the county .
Missouri Constitution Amendment 3 also made history by making Missouri the first state in the nation to automatically expunge past nonviolent marijuana offenses . It has also reduced the state ’ s marijuana arrest statistics — see attorney Dan Viets ’ report on this topic on page 10 of this issue .
We Wish Everyone a Very Happy and Prosperous New Year .
6 December 2024
The
Editor
Bill Cromwell , Editor-in-Chief
It ’ s The Holiday Season
MAGAZINE
Missouri ’ s First Educational Medical Cannabis Magazine Published Monthly by Native Kansas City , MO , Advocates , Publishers and Writers . A True Missouri Born Grassroots Effort to Educate and Inform Patients , and to Provide Businesses within The Missouri Cannabis Industry an Economical Forum to Share Their Story . We hope you join and enjoy “ The EVOLUTION .” Since 2019
PUBLISHER , EDITOR-IN-CHIEF : Bill Cromwell News , Articles , Advertisement , & Requests Should Email to : Bill . C @ TheEvolutionMag . com Corporate Office 816.886.9017 Kansas City , MO Mail to : P . O . Box 485 , Grain Valley , MO 64029
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