Missouri issues complete list of licensed medical marijuana dispensaries

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Before the full list went public, a key Amendment 2 backer said 'at least 6' dispensaries were licensed for Springfield.

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On Friday, Missouri health department officials posted a full list of medical marijuana retail dispensaries that were licensed — or denied licenses — following a lengthy application and "blind-scoring" process set off by the 2018 voter approval of a medical cannabis amendment to the state constitution.

The state got 1,163 applications for 192 licenses available, 24 in each of the Show-Me State's eight congressional districts.

A News-Leader review of the score-ranking list conducted within minutes of its publication by state authorities showed at least 11 dispensary locations approved for the Queen City, four of them clustered on Glenstone Avenue.

The top-scoring Springfield dispensary application appears to have been filed by BD Health Retail 2, LLC for 2126 E. Dale St. Final score: 1637.02 #mommj @HealthyLivingMo @springfiedlNL — Gregory Holman 📲📰 (@GregHolmanNL) January 24, 2020

The top-scoring Springfield applicant appeared to have been BD Health Retail 2, LLC for a location at 2126 E. Dale St.

Other approved locations came from a variety of applicants. They included the following, according to the Missouri health department list: 3903 S. Campbell Ave., 2868 S. Glenstone Ave., 2823 N. Glenstone Ave., 1868 S. Glenstone Ave., 2860 S. Austin Ave., 3800 W. Sunshine St., 2935 E. Chestnut Expy., 751 S. Glenstone Ave., 850 E. Kearney St., and 1306 N. Stewart Ave.

Everything you need to know: Medical marijuana in Missouri

It appeared that 59 dispensary applications with Springfield addresses were denied.

The health department began notifying companies of the status of their applications Thursday, one day earlier than previously announced.

Given the ratio of applications to available licenses, most applicants faced certain defeat in their quest to sell cannabis to state-approved patients later this year, in a marketplace that could one day be worth up to $100 million.

For example, Nixa-based CannaBelews Dispensary LLC was turned down, according to a post on the brand's Facebook page. Officials said the shop would continue selling supplies for legal home-growers and would keep offering physician certifications for patients wanting to apply for state-issued medical marijuana cards.

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Late Thursday, Joseph "Chip" Sheppard, an attorney who participated in drafting the text of Amendment 2 and has also worked with multiple marijuana business applicants, said the state licensed "at least six" dispensaries in the Springfield area.

They included ventures planned by Bloom Medicinals on South Glenstone Avenue; OzaRX Botanicals on West Sunshine Street; and Revival 98, tied to former NFL player Grant Wistrom, on South Austin Avenue; according to reporting by the News-Leader and other newsrooms published Thursday.

The licensing process has been controversial, as in other medical weed states, and lawsuits and administrative appeals are in progress.

Gregory Holman is the investigative reporter for the News-Leader. Email news tips to gholman@gannett.com and consider supporting vital local journalism by subscribing. Learn more by visiting News-Leader.com/subscribe.