Missouri Family Sues After Being Denied a License To Grow Medical Cannabis

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — A judge on Thursday denied a request for a temporary restraining order against the state that was sought by a southwestern Missouri family who was denied a license to grow medical marijuana.

Paul Callicoat and his family sued the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services after their application for a license was among hundreds that the agency denied. They planned to convert their 70-acre property in Sarcoxie into a cultivation site.

Their lawsuit
argued that the state’s decision to cap the number of licenses at 60
violated a right-to-farm amendment in the Missouri Constitution. During a
hearing on Monday, the family’s lawyer, Joseph Bednar, argued that the
state should allow the market to decide which marijuana cultivation
businesses survive.

Bednar also criticized “geographical bonuses”
that the state used to determine who received the licenses. The bonuses
favor applicants from high unemployment zip codes.

The state’s
attorney, Ross Kaplan, said during the hearing that the approval of
licenses last week followed the law’s minimum requirement to issue 60
licenses. He said the regulations of the medical marijuana industry are
meant to protect the public, not licensees, The Columbia Missourian reported.

Judge
Jon Beetem ruled that the Callicoats had not established at this stage
of the legal proceedings that they suffered irreparable injury. He said
in his order that the issues of whether the regulations impede access to
medical marijuana or violated the “right to farm” merit further review.

The Callicoats said in a statement that they were gratified that
Beetem thought those issues merited further review and are
“concentrating on proceeding with litigation.”

Missouri voters
legalized medical marijuana in 2018. More than 500 companies applied to
grow the drug for the state’s new industry.

The Department of Health and Senior Services did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The post Missouri Family Sues After Being Denied License To Grow Medical Cannabis appeared first on High Times.

Jason

Share
Published by
Jason

Recent Posts

5 Cannabis Christmas Recipes to Try This Holiday Season at Home or the Office Party!

To help make your holidaze more "dazey," I've crafted five festive recipes that combine seasonal…

23 hours ago

The Grinch Stole SAFE Banking from the Cannabis Industry This Christmas, Yet Again!

As of December 2024, it has become official: the current Congress will not provide any…

2 days ago

What Federally Illegal Drug Has Created Almost $10 Billion in Sales Tax Revenue for States in the Last 40 Months?

In a significant development for the burgeoning cannabis industry, the U.S. Census Bureau has reported…

4 days ago

Are MSOs Just Big Pharma on Steriods? – Anti-Pot Florida Governor Says Large Cannabis Companies are Just Drug Companies Part 2

The ongoing debate over cannabis legalization in Florida reflects broader national trends regarding marijuana policy.…

5 days ago

2024’s cannabis award-winners and where to buy them

Shop the winners near you. The post 2024’s cannabis award-winners and where to buy them…

6 days ago