Curaleaf, Harvest Health & Recreation, and Columbia Care—all three applicants for medical cannabis licenses in Missouri—registered to lobby in the state in January, July, and August respectively this year, Cannabis Wire has found.
Curaleaf applied for eight licenses while Harvest through its subsidiary Harvest of Missouri LLC applied for 11 medical cannabis licenses. Both Curaleaf and Harvest are also in the process of acquiring two separate applicants for licenses in the state. Grassroots Cannabis, the company being acquired by Curaleaf, put in 14 applications, and Verano, the company being acquired by Harvest Health & Recreation, put in 18.
The St.Louis Post-Dispatch first reported on November 5 that these companies, which are multistate operators from other states, submitted the most applications. Cresco Labs put in the highest number of applications at 30.
Cannabis Wire also found that two other prominent multi-state operators have applied for licenses in the state—Columbia Care and Green Thumb Industries. Columbia Care has applied for eight licenses while Green Thumb Industries, through its subsidiary GTI Missouri LLC, has applied for nine licenses, according to data from the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services.
Missouri legalized medical cannabis by ballot in 2018. The state has received more than 2,000 applications for 338 licenses for growing medical cannabis, operating dispensaries, and making cannabis products as of September 30.