If I had to pick a day this all started, I would pick June 28, 2019. Why? Because at 10:07 am that day is when I hit the submit button on my application to get a Missouri Medical Cannabis Patient License. So, if I had to pick a day and time when this all started that is what I would say. That was the first day you could submit an application to wait for approval. I would have applied sooner but when the application finally showed up online, I figured out I had to find my car registration to prove my correct address and get a selfie on the right color background. That’s how distinctly I remember that day. Little did I know how much my life was about to embark down a road I had no intention of being on. I had a degree in business and had only been using CBD for 6 months or a year and until Amendment 2 had passed I hadn’t smoked cannabis or used another method of consumption since I was maybe 18 years old so I was not going to be involved in this industry in any way just was going to get a card so I could use cannabis legally. Or at least that was my plan.
When I was going through the process of getting my first medical card the doctor required an in-person visit as there as this clinic did not have a telehealth option at that time. It was also over an hour drive from my house! Not easy access and I would have preferred the telehealth option that many of us use today! I had seen this doctor months before, if I remember correctly, I saw them in early 2019 so that before that June date they went ahead and emailed our paper certifications so I was ready to apply the first morning that we all could.
In a future post I will tell you the story of the person who helped get me a card. If it wasn’t for this person, I never would have even got a medical card and would not have been a part of thousands of patients’ journey! They are also the same person who changed my perspective on sharing my cannabis use with people. Because only my husband, best friend, and this person who helped me were even going to know I had a medical card. And here I am 2036 days later publishing a blog post and only a select few people in my life who I do not openly speak about my cannabis use with!
My previous job had been as a General Manager of 4 local Income tax places. After I left that position, I was bored at home and spent way too much time on social media and that’s when I discovered a few of the cannabis Facebook Groups. At first, I was afraid to even comment honestly. But eventually I started commenting and making online friends, many of whom I would later become in person friends with.
When I was approved July 1,2019 now not only could I now legally possess cannabis that date is also the first date I started helping others apply as well online as many people would encounter technical issues when they tried to do their application. They would send me their information and I would help them despite the fact I did not work for a clinic. Some doctors would hand them their paper recommendation and leave them to figure out the process on their own. And because of my personality, ok safe space here because of my Obsessive compulsive disorder, I had to know this program inside and out to even apply for my card or my anxiety would get to me. I had read all the rules and regulations back then multiple times till I understood them as I needed to understand this, so I didn’t end up arrested. This was a huge change for law enforcement as well as the public and it was bound to be a bumpy road along the way. There was so much misinformation online back then it was extremely obvious people needed help understanding the medical program we originally had. This led to an opportunity to help people get medical cards with my first clinic, but over the following years I worked with several different clinics helping patients get their Missouri Medical Cannabis Cards.
How many of you have been around since 2019 when this all (legally) started? And I know a bunch of you have been around significantly longer in some cases years or decades l before legalization started and many of you helped with that process in Missouri and other now legal states. I know many of you also remember answering the question a million times “When will the dispensaries open? “. And many of you remember renewing our cards a full year later and dispensaries still not being open? I know that had been complained about so many times online. And what about the question “How do I get a medical card?”. While the dispensaries are open now and have been for years, I still answer how to get a card often. I will cover that topic in a future post if you need to know! Or feel free to contact me for immediate assistance.
When the dispensaries opened this had been eagerly anticipated by numerous patients for what seemed like forever at the time! For others, they had already figured out that we had an amazing caregiver program and would rely on that instead of dispensaries for quality medication. I am a huge fan of the caregiver program. Without it many patients would still be unable to access cannabis in therapeutic quantities they need to help them function on a daily basis!
We have had a lot of ups and downs along the way. We have had some amazing people in this Missouri cannabis community help others out of the goodness of their heart and out of their personal checkbook. Some great doctors that genuinely care about their patients. Some great advocates that have spent so much time and money advocating for cannabis and educating the public about various cannabis related issues. Some absolutely amazing patients and consumers who give back to this community both publicly and some individuals choose to remain anonymous while assisting vulnerable and ill members of the Missouri cannabis community from behind the scenes. . Multiple people believe their lives were saved due to the help they received by various members of the Missouri cannabis community. Unfortunately, we have also seen a few clinics go out of business and leave patients without refunds or deactivated cards. Several of the other medical cannabis card clinics and advocates stepped in to clean up the mess and their efforts are genuinely appreciated! I just wish the situations never would have happened in the first place and I truly hope that chapter is forever closed in Missouri cannabis! We have seen so many recalls of cannabis products…. but cannabis is accessible for many citizens of Missouri. No legal cannabis program is perfect but as much as I complain compared to some other states Missouri has it great!
Several of the first events were phenomenally successful and remembered fondly in this community. I still remember my first patient drive in Joplin meeting some vendors for the first time, chatting with various patients and advocates. And my first big event in Kansas City called High Tea back I think in 2020! I met so many people for the first time in person up there. Now the Missouri cannabis community has grown so much it seems there is an event every single weekend now and usually multiple events. Yet many of these people I met back then are still the same people doing things for the Missouri cannabis community over 5 years later.
Then came the passage of Amendment 3. And while it is no secret that I was against A3 I also felt that that it would pass, and we would go from Missouri being a Medical cannabis only state to Missouri being an adult use cannabis state which would undoubtedly lead to a lot of confusion in our Missouri cannabis community. I did spend a significant amount of time understanding what it did and did not say and how this would affect the average patient in our Missouri cannabis community. I decided that I needed to have better resources available. Also, some of the application assistance that I offer, as well as the new (at the time) consumer cultivation option that would not require a doctor, so at that time I decided to launch Canna Answers, LLC. This also gives people a way to find me even if my social media pages get shut down yet again for violating community standards.
This has led to me continuing to grow and learn about Missouri cannabis rules and regulation. I am still focused on the patients and offering medical cards including alternative dose (high dose) cards and cultivation. I can help caregivers oversee even the most complex situations. I offer microbusiness consulting helping people get through the application process as I have helped individuals and groups apply in both Rounds 1 and 2 of the Missouri Micro Business Lottery and can use my extensive knowledge to make the process easier to understand for the Applicant and take the fear out of having to upload your application into the portal as I can handle that process completely or review what you did yourself. I still answer all the questions our Missouri cannabis community doesn’t know who to ask. I get questions on everything from patient possession amount questions to questions on becoming a caregiver, to micro-business license questions, to just not knowing what licenses they need or how to apply for them. If I cannot help you, I can probably at least point you in the right direction of who to ask or where to find the information you are looking for.
If you have a question on Missouri cannabis patient, caregiver or consumer rules? Do you need assistance updating your application? Need help applying for a micro-business license? Any other random questions? Feel free to reach out to us by phone or text at (417) 439-0947 or email [email protected] for assistance. Do you have a topic you wish for me to cover in a future blog post? If so, please submit your ideas for a topic or question to [email protected]
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