ST. LOUIS — A St. Louis-based cannabis dispensary is planning to acquire five Kansas City-area dispensaries, which will nearly double its retail footprint in Missouri.

Swade Cannabis, owned by St. Louis-based BeLeaf Medical Co., has assumed the operations and management of Smithville, Missouri-based BesaMe Wellness’s five dispensaries in the Kansas City area.

“We are currently operating under a Management Services Agreement (MSA) as we await final approval of the acquisition” from the Missouri Department of Health & Senior Services, Joey Pintozzi, chief strategy and revenue officer for Swade Cannabis, said Friday in an emailed statement.

Terms of the deal, which doesn’t include any other BesaMe Wellness operations, weren’t disclosed. BesaMe, which began as one of the state’s early medical marijuana dispensaries in 2020, is owned by a group of investors including principal Jack Mitchell.

Read the full story on the St. Louis Business Journal.