DHSS solicits proposals for a Missouri cannabis market study

The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) has issued a Request for Proposal to procure a Cannabis Market and Economic Impact Study. The results of the study will be used as a resource to determine whether or when DHSS will be required to issue additional cannabis facility licenses and, if so, how many, where, and of what type.

Article XIV of the Missouri Constitution says, “The department may lift or ease any limit on the number of [cannabis] licensees or certificate holders in order to meet the demand for marijuana in the state and to ensure a competitive market while also preventing an over-concentration of marijuana facilities within the boundaries of any particular local government.” If DHSS does issue additional licenses, at least half of those licenses must be awarded to owners of cannabis microbusiness facilities that have been operational for at least a year.

In addition to assisting DHSS in analyzing whether to issue additional licenses, the study will also provide information regarding the overall economic stability of the regulated market, including strengths and risks, with a special emphasis on the regulated market’s impact on economically distressed areas of the state. Article XIV directs DHSS to develop “a plan to promote and encourage ownership and employment in the marijuana industry by people from political subdivisions and districts that are economically distressed and to positively impact those political subdivisions and districts.” The study will provide information relevant to creating and implementing such a plan.

The solicitation may be viewed at https://ewqg.fa.us8.oraclecloud.com/fscmUI/redwood/negotiation-abstracts/view/abstractlistingdetails.

Proposals must be submitted by 2 p.m. on March 24.