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Should States Bordering Missouri Work Together to Remove Cannabis Health Care Barriers ? by Andrew Park , contributing writer
It appears COVID-19 is here to stay as it ’ s developing more variants than cannabis growers developing new hybrids . While certain innovations like telehealth and dispensaries offering home delivery and drive-thru services have allowed patients to go uninterrupted with their supply of medicine , most state resources for the cannabis industry are being pushed to the limit .
The COVID-19 domino effect starts at the state level . This writer had the opportunity to listen to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services ( DHSS ) annual update while attending MOCANNA BIZCON 2021 . The workforce of the department is staggeringly slim . There are less than a dozen employees processing applications day-in and day-out . To give you an idea , that is close to one employee doing hundreds of license evaluations per day . When the Department of Health and Senior Services was asked about more funding to expand its workforce , they had optimism about their answer , stating , “ We have submitted a few requests to the governor … in order to gain more funding to hire additional staff .” Unfortunately , COVID ’ s Delta Variant has taken everyone ’ s political agenda and put it on its ear . Funds have been diverted to support other state needs and thus slowing the infrastructure of the MMJ industry . Pair that with the countless number of lawsuits the DHSS faces because of the staggering ratio of accepted applications for industry-related licenses versus denied applications , and Missouri has possibly already outgrown its regulations .
I also asked DHSS if they had any communication with the state of Kansas , as they are on the cusp of a State Senate vote to legalize medical cannabis . In a very disappointing
46 October 2021 answer , the DHSS said it had not yet reached out to our neighbors to the West . This lapse in cross-state communication will prove lethal when the green wave hits the shores of wheat . Why is communication between Missouri and Kansas so paramount ? Mainly to learn from our mistakes , so Kansas will be ready to serve its patients best when the time comes . The main platform that has cannabis this far into the Kansas legislature is how it helps veterans . Countless townhalls , petitions , and hearings have captured bi-partisan support for those who served our country . In Missouri , DHSS has done a phenomenal job including veterans every step of the way to ensure the safety and availability of medicine for those who need it . Making sure the Kansas government includes the Kansas VA in decision-making for the new laws is a pillar that will solidify the state in the cannabis industry .
One of the main aspects that Kansas needs to consider in terms of medical licenses is crossstate availability . If you have been approved in Missouri , you should be approved in Kansas . This is one of the downfalls of the current Missouri legislation . There are hundreds of thousands of veteran patients who live in the Kansas City metro area . There are even more potential veteran patients who live in the Lawrence , Manhattan , Topeka , and Wichita areas , to name a few . To make their lives easier , we shouldn ’ t have the state line become a barrier for alternative healthcare . It is still federally illegal to transport cannabis across state lines , even if both states have legalized medical cannabis . However , states like Arkansas and Oklahoma allow out-ofstate patients with valid cards to apply for temporary licenses to purchase cannabis in their dispensaries . This helps in terms of patients not having to worry about bringing their own cannabis across those state lines and gives them the option to medicate while away from home .
As the year comes closer to its end , the picture of medical cannabis in our state and our neighbor ’ s becomes clearer . There is still a long way to go , and there will be more hurdles on the federal and state level to overcome . Hurdles to overcome include establishing interstate communication for the benefit of the patients , laying the foundation of licenses for a newly legal state , and making sure Kansas can support its new businesses . There is a silver lining — Missouri has laid a solid foundation that appears pandemic-proof , even with all the delays , the short-staffed DHSS department , and funding being re-allocated to handle lawsuits . Today , and most importantly , patients are receiving safe care . MMJ businesses have been created and have grown each quarter since October 2020 — with no end in sight . Now our obligation is to educate and help our Kansan neighbors create their own industry , only to be supplemented by Missouri companies . Being pro-active in this regard can only reap benefits for Missouri businesses , especially if it means making sure Missouri legislation gets started on allowing out-of-state medical cannabis cards to be valid in Missouri dispensaries .
2022 should be an interesting year as we see progress moving towards Kansas legalization .
States Bordering Missouri Where Visitors Can Buy Out-of-State Cannabis ?
Arkansas : Medical marijuana is legalized . Out-of-State medical marijuana can be purchased . Patients must complete a visiting