Jasper County Cannabis – Is It Legal & Where To Buy 2025

Is Cannabis Cultivation Legal in Jasper County?

Licensed medical and adult-use cannabis cultivation in Jasper County is legal. Article XIV of the State of Missouri Constitution legalized medical cannabis in 2018. The use of recreational cannabis by individuals who are 21 years old and above was legalized in the state through Amendment 3 in 2022, with the addition of Section 2 to the Constitution’s Article XIV.

The licensing and regulation of medical and adult-use cannabis falls under the Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) Division of Cannabis Regulation. As of July 2023, applications were closed for the cultivation facility license.

The DHSS approved in February 2023 the conversion of 56 medical cannabis cultivation facility licenses to comprehensive cannabis cultivation facility licenses for medical and adult-use cannabis crops. As of May 30, 2023, there were 67 licensed cultivation facilities throughout the state. Of these, two were in the City of Joplin in Jasper County.

Small businesses whose owners are marginalized may apply for the cannabis microbusiness wholesale license. The holder is authorized to cultivate up to 250 mature cannabis plants for medical and adult use and manufacture medical and adult-use cannabis-infused products. In October 2023, four of these licenses will be issued by the DHSS in every state congressional district, with an additional four to be granted to each district in 2024, and yet another four per district in 2025.

Medical cannabis cardholders who have a cultivation permit and adults who are 21 years old and above who have a consumer personal cultivation permit are allowed by the DHSS to cultivate medical cannabis for personal use. The cultivation permit of patients and caregivers is applied for at the same time as the medical cannabis card application. The cultivation permit of age-qualified consumers is applied for on the online Missouri Medical Marijuana Portal.

Cannabis cultivation for personal use is allowed only in a portion of the grower’s private residence that is fully enclosed, locked against intruders, and hidden from the public. A qualified personal cultivator is allowed to grow up to six flowering plants and 12 non-flowering plants, with six of the latter below 14 inches tall. Licensed caregivers are allowed to grow cannabis for the personal use of several patients, but with a cap of 24 flowering plants and 48 non-flowering plants, with 24 of the latter below 14 inches tall.

Is Cannabis Manufacturing Legal in Jasper County?

Licensed cannabis-infused product manufacturing in Jasper County is legal under Article XIV of the Constitution of the State of Missouri and its amendments. Applications were closed for the cannabis-infused product manufacturing facility license as of July 2023.

Earlier, in February 2023, 72 medical cannabis manufacturing facility licenses were approved by the DHHS for conversion to comprehensive cannabis-infused product manufacturing facility licenses to be able to also manufacture adult-use cannabis products. As of May 30, 2023, there were 89 licensed cannabis-infused product manufacturing facilities across the state, with one located in the City of Joplin in Jasper County.

Medical and adult-use cannabis-infused product manufacturing will also be authorized for the cannabis microbusiness wholesale licensees in October 2023.

Is Cannabis Retail Legal in Jasper County?

Licensed medical and adult-use cannabis retail in Jasper County is legal under Article XIV of the State of Missouri’s Constitution and its subsequent amendments. Applications for the cannabis dispensary facility license were closed as of July 2023.

In February 2023, the DHHS approved the conversion to comprehensive cannabis dispensary licenses of 207 medical cannabis dispensaries, enabling them to also sell adult-use cannabis and its products to medical cannabis cardholders. As of May 30, 2023, there were 213 licensed dispensary facilities statewide, with eight located in Jasper County. Seven were in the City of Joplin and one was in the City of Carthage.

Small businesses with marginalized owners may also apply for the cannabis microbusiness dispensary license. Licensees are likewise authorized to sell medical and adult-use cannabis and their products to medical cannabis cardholders. In October 2023, two of these licenses will be issued by the DHSS in every state congressional district, with an additional two to be given out per district in 2024, and still another two per district in 2025.

The retail selling of adult-use cannabis in the State of Missouri was allowed to start on February 3, 2023. Allowed for sale in licensed medical and adult-use cannabis dispensaries, in accordance with Article XIV, are infused pre-rolls that may contain raw dried cannabis, ingestible cannabis products, edible cannabis products, topical cannabis products, and cannabis products that are intended for vaping and smoking.

Age-qualified consumers may purchase at each transaction three ounces of cannabis and cannabis products or the equivalent. A medical cannabis cardholder may purchase in every 30-day period six ounces of cannabis and cannabis products or the equivalent. A certification from a state-licensed physician or nurse registered with the DHSS is required if the patient needs to purchase more.

Prior to each medical cannabis sale, the licensed dispensary is required to scan the bar code behind the purchaser’s medical cannabis card to enter all details of the sale into the online registry.

Is Cannabis Delivery Legal in Jasper County?

Licensed cannabis delivery in Jasper County is legal according to the amended Article XIV of the State of Missouri’s Constitution. Licensed cannabis dispensaries are allowed to deliver to the cited address of medical cannabis cardholders their purchased medical cannabis and medical cannabis products. Licensed cannabis dispensaries are also allowed to deliver adult-use cannabis and its products to the addresses indicated by consumers who are 21 years old and above.

How to Get a Medical Marijuana Card in Jasper County

Jasper County residents may get a medical cannabis card by applying online through the Missouri Medical Marijuana Portal. Before doing so, however, the patient must have been diagnosed and certified as having one of the following qualifying ailments by a DHSS-registered state-licensed doctor or nurse:

• A debilitating psychiatric disorder diagnosed by a state-licensed psychiatrist
• A terminal illness
• Epilepsy
• A debilitating chronic medical condition
• Intractable migraine
• A chronic ailment that requires prescription medication, but for which medical cannabis is safer
• HIV
• Severe chronic muscle spasms or pain
• AIDS
• Glaucoma
• Cancer
• Other debilitating chronic medical conditions, such as:
  • Wasting syndrome
  • Hepatitis C
  • Cachexia
  • Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
  • Agitation of Alzheimer’s disease
  • Inflammatory bowel disease
  • Sickle cell anemia
  • Crohn’s disease
  • Neuropathies
  • Autism
  • Huntington’s disease

If the patient is allowed to purchase more than the six-ounces-per-30-day limit, the particular quantity of medical cannabis and medical cannabis products allowed must be indicated in the certification.

The patient must complete the application on the portal within 30 days of receiving the certification. Patients younger than 18 must include a Parent/Legal Guardian Consent Form among the application documents. The adult patient designating a caregiver must give a Patient Authorization Form. Also required are a photo ID issued by the government to prove identity and age, and a clear passport-style digital photo. Once the patient’s application has been approved, the caregiver must also apply online. Both fees cost $25. The cultivator license costs an additional $50.

Processing of the medical cannabis card takes around 30 days, after which the digital card may be downloaded or printed from the patient’s or the caregiver’s registry account. It is valid for three years.

The following may be reached for further queries:

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 Jasper County?

Data from the State of Missouri’s Division of Cannabis Regulation shows that total cannabis sales statewide from February 3 to 5, 2023, alone, amounted to almost $12.69 million. Medical cannabis contributed almost $4.2 million and adult-use cannabis contributed over $8.5 million.

Article XIV of the State of Missouri’s Constitution charges a four percent state sales tax on all retail purchases of medical cannabis and medical cannabis products, while Article XIV Section 2 charges a six percent state sales tax on all retail purchases of adult-use cannabis and adult-use cannabis products. There is also a local sales tax of up to three percent on adult-use cannabis and adult-use cannabis products that local governments, like that of Jasper County, may charge.

The Effects of Cannabis Legalization on Crime Rates in Jasper County

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

Data sent by the Jasper County Sheriff's Office to the Crime Explorer page of the FBI shows that in 2017, a year before the legalization of medical cannabis, there were 56 marijuana possession arrests and three marijuana sales arrests, totaling 59 marijuana offense arrests.

In 2018, the year that medical cannabis was legalized, there were 59 marijuana possession arrests and two marijuana sales arrests, totaling 61 marijuana offense arrests.

In 2021, the latest data showed eight marijuana possession arrests, comprising all marijuana offense arrests.

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

• 2017: 90 arrests
• 2018: 92 arrests
• 2021: 117 arrests