Missouri officials will hold a medical marijuana forum in Jefferson City next week

Missouri officials announced Wednesday that they will soon host a public forum about the state's medical marijuana program.

The forum will take place from 6 to 9 p.m. Feb. 13 in Room 450 of the Governor's Office Building at 200 Madison St. in Jefferson City. It is intended to gather suggestions from the public as the state Department of Health and Senior Services begins writing rules for the medical marijuana system overwhelmingly approved by voters in November.

“We are currently establishing program rules in accordance with the Constitution, and we feel it is essential that we gather input from Missourians as part of this process,” said Lyndall Fraker, state director of medical marijuana, in a news release.

In December, Gov. Mike Parson appointed Fraker, a former state representative from Marshfield, to oversee Missouri's implementation of medical marijuana. Both Parson and Fraker are Republicans.

During a Jan. 18 trip to Springfield, the governor called Missouri's approach to medical marijuana a "pretty cautious" one. 

"We're just getting going on that process," Parson told the News-Leader following an appearance at the Discovery Center.

In its Wednesday news release, DHSS said the forum event "will be an opportunity for interested individuals to leave thoughtful feedback, verbally or written, about what should and should not be included in the medical marijuana program regulations."

DHSS also said, "the scope of the discussion will be limited to suggestions for program regulation."

Translation: The event is not about whether legalized, recreational or "adult-use" marijuana is a future possibility for Missouri.

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Missouri voters approved medical marijuana overwhelmingly in November, choosing Amendment 2, one of three rival ballot initiatives.

Amendment 2 calls for a system of 192 dispensaries to be established by early 2020, along with growing and manufacturing operations. Spread evenly throughout the state, the dispensaries will sell cannabis products only to qualified patients with serious medical conditions.

Licenses for the dispensaries and other parts of Missouri's medical marijuana system must be approved by Dec. 31, according to the constitutional amendment. A month ago, the state began taking pre-filed application fees. It will begin taking application forms on Aug. 3.

Since the amendment took effect in December, DHSS has been taking suggestions from the public as it begins rule-making. Anyone may submit a suggestion by using a form on the DHSS website or emailing MedicalMarijuanaInfo@health.mo.gov, officials said.

Draft versions of the rules will be posted to a section of the DHSS website "as soon as they are available," officials said.

Business interests expect Missouri's emerging medical marijuana market to be a multimillion-dollar affair, and trade groups have been announcing conferences and seminars in recent weeks.

DHSS recently refused to release information that would disclose which individuals or groups want to sell medical marijuana in Missouri. The information was requested in different forms by media outlets including the News-Leader and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

In response, the Post-Dispatch announced Jan. 31 that it filed a lawsuit against the state, asking a judge to order the release of copies of documents that companies submitted to DHSS with their application fees.

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