Local dispensaries, patients await opening of medical marijuana facilities

The number of Missourians granted medical marijuana patient cards has more than doubled from last year, but with ongoing delays because of factors such as COVID-19, many are left wondering when dispensaries will be open with products readily available.

There have been 57,354 cards approved to patients since the start of the medical marijuana program, which was approved by voters in November 2018, according to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. A consulting firm used by the state had estimated there would be close to 50,000 patients after the first year of the program and close to 150,000 patients by the third year, said Lyndall Fraker, director of the department’s Section for Medical Marijuana Regulation.