Boone County Cannabis – Is It Legal & Where To Buy 2024

Is Cannabis Cultivation Legal in Boone County?

Licensed cannabis cultivation for medical and adult use in Boone County is legal. In 2018, medical cannabis was legalized in the State of Missouri through Article XIV of the Missouri Constitution. In 2022, adult-use cannabis by persons who are at least 21 years old was legalized in the state through the passing of Amendment 3, adding Section 2 to Article XIV of the Constitution.

The Division of Cannabis Regulation of the Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) is the licensing authority regulating medical and adult-use cannabis.

The DHSS allows the personal cultivation of cannabis by licensed patients who hold a patient cultivation card, licensed caregivers who also hold a caregiver cultivation license, and persons who are at least 21 years old who hold a consumer personal cultivation license. The patient and caregiver cultivation licenses are applied for after applying for the respective medical cannabis cards. The consumer cultivation license may be applied for online through the Missouri Medical Marijuana Portal.

Personal cannabis cultivation may be done indoors or outdoors provided the growing area is enclosed and locked against unauthorized intrusion and public viewing. Each licensed consumer cultivator or patient cultivator may grow only a maximum of six flowering plants and 12 non-flowering plants, of which six are shorter than 14 inches. Licensed caregiver cultivators may grow cannabis for more than one patient but only a maximum of 24 flowering plants and 48 non-flowering plants, of which 24 are shorter than 14 inches.

Applications for the cannabis cultivation license are closed as of May 2023. In February 2023, the DHSS approved the conversion of the licenses of 56 medical cannabis cultivation facilities into comprehensive cannabis cultivation licenses for both medical and adult-use cannabis. As of May 15, 2023, there were two licensed comprehensive cannabis cultivation facilities in Boone County, both in the City of Columbia.

The cannabis microbusiness wholesale license entitles the holder to cultivate and manufacture medical and adult-use cannabis. It is granted only to small businesses with marginalized owners. A licensee may grow a maximum of only 250 mature cannabis plants. The DHSS will grant four cannabis microbusiness wholesale licenses in each state congressional district in October 2023. Another four per district will be granted in 2024 and the same in 2025.

Is Cannabis Manufacturing Legal in Boone County?

Licensed cannabis product manufacturing for medical and adult use in Boone County is legal as mandated by the amended Article XIV of the State of Missouri’s Constitution.

Applications for the cannabis manufacturer license are closed as of May 2023. The DHSS approved the conversion of the licenses of 72 medical cannabis manufacturing facilities into comprehensive cannabis-infused product manufacturing (IPM) facility licenses in February 2023. As of April 26, 2023, there were four licensed comprehensive cannabis IPM facilities in Boone County, all in the City of Columbia.

The cannabis microbusiness wholesale licenses to be issued by the DHSS starting October 2023 also allow IPM operations but for marginalized owners only.

Is Cannabis Retail Legal in Boone County?

Licensed medical and adult-use cannabis retail in Boone County is legal under the amended Article XIV of the Constitution of the State of Missouri. Medical cannabis and medical cannabis products are only allowed to be sold to medical cannabis cardholders while adult-use cannabis and adult-use cannabis products are only allowed to be sold to persons who are at least 21 years old.

Applications for the cannabis dispensary license are closed as of May 2023. The DHSS approved in February 2023 the conversion of the licenses of 207 medical cannabis dispensaries into comprehensive cannabis dispensary licenses. As of May 10, 2023, there were seven licensed comprehensive cannabis cultivation facilities in Boone County, all in the City of Columbia.

The cannabis microbusiness dispensary license is granted only to small businesses whose owners are marginalized and entitles the holder to sell both medical and adult-use cannabis by retail. In October 2023 the DHSS will grant two cannabis microbusiness dispensary licenses in each congressional district of the state. Another two per district will be granted in 2024 and again in 2025.

Adult-use cannabis retail selling began on February 3, 2023. Licensed cannabis dispensaries are allowed to sell medical and adult-use cannabis and cannabis products such as those that are smokable, inhalable, edible, ingestible, topical, and others.

A licensed cannabis dispensary may sell to each consumer who is at least 21 years old a maximum of three ounces of cannabis and cannabis products or an equivalent quantity per transaction. A licensed cannabis dispensary may sell to each medical cannabis cardholder a maximum of six ounces of cannabis and cannabis products or an equivalent quantity every 30 days. Beyond this limit, the medical cannabis cardholder must have a certification from a doctor or nurse practitioner authorizing more.

Before every sale, a licensed dispensary is required to scan the barcode at the back portion of the medical cannabis card. This will record the details of the sale on the registry.

Is Cannabis Delivery Legal in Boone County?

Medical and adult-use cannabis delivery in Boone County is allowed by the amended Article XIV of the Constitution of the State of Missouri. Medical cannabis and medical cannabis products may only be delivered to the homes of medical cannabis cardholders by licensed medical cannabis dispensaries. Licensed adult-use cannabis dispensaries are only allowed to deliver adult-use cannabis and adult-use cannabis products to the homes of persons who are at least 21 years old.

How to Get a Medical Marijuana Card in Boone County

A Missouri Medical Marijuana Program Registry medical cannabis card can be acquired in Boone County only through an online application made on the Missouri Medical Marijuana Portal. The patient must be certified by a state-licensed and DHSS-registered medical or osteopathic doctor or nurse practitioner on the online registry, attesting to a diagnosis of any of the following qualifying illnesses:

• A terminal illness

• A chronic debilitating medical condition

• A chronic illness requiring prescription medication, compared to which medical cannabis is safer

• Chronic severe pain or muscle spasms

• Cancer

• Glaucoma

• AIDS

• HIV

• Intractable migraine

• Epilepsy

• A debilitating psychiatric disorder that a state-licensed psychiatrist diagnosed

The doctor or nurse practitioner must indicate in the certification the amount of medical cannabis allowed for the patient to purchase beyond the 6-ounce limit, if necessary.

Not more than 30 days after being certified, the patient must register on the portal and complete the application. Proof of residency in the State of Missouri is not required but a government-issued photo ID is necessary as proof of identity and age. A clear passport-type digital photo of the applicant must also be submitted. If the patient is under 18 years old, a Parent/Legal Guardian Consent Form must accompany the application.

After the approval of the patient’s application, the parent or legal guardian of a minor or the designated caregiver of an adult patient must also apply for a caregiver’s medical cannabis card online. The adult patient must sign a Patient Authorization Form to be submitted with the application.

The patient and caregiver card fees are both $25. An additional $50 must be paid for a patient or caregiver cultivator license.

The approved medical cannabis card will appear on the patient’s or caregiver’s registry account after 30 days of processing. Both sides of the card must be printed or downloaded as a PDF file directly from the registry dashboard to be scannable at licensed dispensaries. Other file types or methods of downloading will not be acceptable. The card’s validity period is three years.

To request further information, the public may contact the following:

Division of Cannabis Regulation

PO Box 570

Jefferson City, MO 65102-0570

Toll-Free Access Line: 866-219-0165 Monday to Thursday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.mm CST

Email: Cannabisinfo@health.mo.gov

How Has Cannabis Legalization Impacted the Economy of Boone County?

Every retail purchase of medical cannabis in Boone County is charged a state sales tax of four percent and every retail purchase of adult-use cannabis is charged a state sales tax of six percent. Boone County, however, only benefits from the local sales tax of three percent.

Since retail selling of adult-use cannabis began on February 3 up to February 5, 2023, the estimated total sales of cannabis statewide were nearly $12.69 million. Of this amount, more than $8.5 million was from adult-use cannabis sales and nearly $4.2 million was from medical cannabis sales.

The Effects of Cannabis Legalization on Crime Rates in Boone County

Medical cannabis was legalized in Boone County in 2018, and adult-use cannabis was legalized in 2022.

Data submitted by the Boone County Sheriff's Office to the FBI’s Crime Explorer page shows that in 2017, the year prior to medical cannabis legalization, there were 115 marijuana offense arrests, comprised of 113 arrests for possession and two arrests for sales or manufacturing.

In 2018, the year of legalization of medical cannabis, there were 142 marijuana offense arrests, comprised of 138 arrests for possession and four arrests for sales or manufacturing.

In 2020, there were 78 marijuana offense arrests, comprised of 77 arrests for possession and one arrest for sales or manufacturing.

The latest available data in 2021 shows that there were 57 marijuana offense arrests, comprised of 54 arrests for possession and three arrests for sales or manufacturing.

The number of DUI arrests was as follows in those years:

• 2017: 105 arrests

• 2018: 175 arrests

• 2020: 94 arrests

• 2021: 115 arrests