by Rebecca Rivas, Missouri Independent
Cannabis advocacy organizations are sounding the alarm about guidance from state regulators limiting how much medical marijuana patients can purchase from licensed dispensaries.
By law, dispensaries are required to track how much medical marijuana patients buy so they don’t exceed their limit.
According to a FAQ that was added earlier this year to the website of the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, the state’s cannabis regulatory agency, if patients reach their limit they are not legally allowed to buy marijuana like as a recreational consumer.
“…patient ID card holders are not allowed to purchase as a consumer in a licensed dispensary,” the website states. “These regulations help ensure patients and consumers stay within their allowed possession limits.”
In general, medical patients are limited to a 6-ounce allotment of dried, unprocessed marijuana every 30 days. Recreational consumers are allowed to purchase up to 3 ounces every day — but can’t possess more than 3 ounces.
The state is prohibited by law from tracking the purchases of people who don’t have patient ID cards without their permission.
Andrew Mullins, executive director of the Missouri Marijuana Trade Association, sent a letter to leaders of the Division of Cannabis Regulation in April claiming the policy is unconstitutional.
“We believe that DCR’s interpretation that a Missourian must either be an adult-use consumer or a medical patient is neither good public policy nor a constitutionally sound interpretation,” he wrote.
Mullins said the policy is also inconsistent with what the division told industry members in February 2023, just days after recreational marijuana sales began in Missouri. The division sent an email responding to an industry member’s question on the issue that said patients who are 21 years of age or older “will also be able to purchase cannabis products as a consumer.”
Lisa Cox, spokeswoman for the division, said the February email “was inaccurate and sent in error.” It was a few months before the final administrative rules on recreational cannabis became effective in August 2023, she said.
“The department has received and reviewed the correspondence from MoCann Trade regarding the communication that was sent in error,” Cox said. “The department has engaged directly with MoCann Trade to address their concerns and has informed them that the policies are currently under review.”
Brennan England, Missouri state director for Minorities for Medical Marijuana, believes there needs to be a coordinated effort to repeal the policy.
“We in the Black and Brown medical community were early adopters – seeking primarily legal protection, consistent access and affordability…” he said. “Restricting patient purchasing power is not a neutral act. It disrupts care, deepens mistrust, and locks out those who moved first with the most at stake.”
England, a long-time medical cannabis patient and community leader, began organizing for medical marijuana reform in 2014, leading some of the state’s largest signature drives and public education events. He founded the St. Louis Cannabis Club and opened The Cola Lounge, Missouri’s first private cannabis consumption space, in August 2019, the moment state protections for patients became active.
England believes the rule harms minority communities disproportionately, and a repeal should be followed by a “joint policy briefing” with division leaders and impacted patients, licensed operators and legal advisors.
“Beyond policy, we need strategy that humanizes the process,” England said. “That means real conversations—not just statements—where regulators hear firsthand from patients and communities affected. A briefing is one thing, but sitting across from someone who’s had care delayed or denied by this rule? That creates impact that data alone can’t.”
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