Council approves Recreational Marijuana licensing
The Columbia City Council approved an ordinance to allow medical marijuana facilities to convert their business licenses to sell recreational marijuana.
The council voted unanimously Monday to authorize medical marijuana dispensaries to convert their current licenses to “comprehensive” facility licenses, which means they can sell both medical and recreational marijuana.
The updated regulations will take effect immediately.
Currently, Columbia has six licensed dispensaries, two licensed cultivators and three licensed manufacturers, Business Services Manager Todd Guess said. The only type of marijuana facility not operating in Columbia is wholesalers.
Comprehensive licensure will only be available to existing dispensaries with active medical licenses — according to a city memo — and the city anticipates an “increased revenue stream” from recreational sales in the future.
The city charges a $2,000 license conversion fee, based on what the state has done in similar process, Guess said. The conversion fee is seperated from the annual business license fees, which is $500.
The council also voted to approve revisions of the Unified Development Code, incorporating definitions and standards related to the city’s new comprehensive marijuana facilities. The revisions aimed to stay in line with Amendment 3, which legalized recreational marijuana use in November.
Attorney Dan Viets commented that it was an “embarrassment” that Columbia had not begun licensing comprehensive facilities sooner with other cities. He also criticized the licensing fee, saying the city would “have substantial additional revenue from marijuana sales” if the potential 3% sales tax on recreational marijuana passes.
The city’s policy change reflects a growing marijuana industry statewide following its legalization. Across the state, the past weekend saw over $12 million worth of product sold by marijuana dispensaries, according to a press release from the Missouri Cannabis Trade Association. The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services issued over 300 comprehensive licenses Friday, according to the release.
