Join Florissant budtenders Dr. Bex Johnson and Jeff Rowse for their explanation of how to become a medical cannabis patient in Missouri, recorded live on 11/29/2021.
0:00 Waiting for Viewers to Join
3:30 Starting the Show: Welcome!
4:36 How to get your medical cannabis card with Feel State
5:42 The MMJ Recs process
6:18 How long will it take to get my medical card?
6:46 New Products at Feel State
8:48 How to Check the Status of your Application
10:07 Problems? Visit us at Feel State! We’ll print & laminate for you!
10:20 What conditions allow me to qualify for a doctor’s recommendation?
12:27 How much cannabis can you purchase and possess?
13:00 Understanding MMEs: Missouri Marijuana Equivalency Units
14:00 Thank you!!
14:46 Over 40 chemovars in stock!
15:15 Call us to find out how many MME’s you have left this month
15:30 When do my MMEs refresh?
15:51 How to be prescribed more than 4oz cannabis per month?
16:08 Will I lose my guns?
16:57 Applying for gun ownership with a medical card
17:35 How can I grow my own cannabis?
19:00 How do I become a caregiver?
19:45 How long is my medical cannabis card good for?
20:15 How to Renew your Medical Cannabis Card
21:21 Taking Audience Questions
21:31 Can homegrowers sell to a dispensary?
22:29 How do I get a cultivation or manufacturing license in MO or other states?
23:06 Will Feel State sell clones and seeds?
21:53 Are guests allowed to come to the dispensary?
Prefer to read this conversation about becoming a medical cannabis patient in Missouri? Check out the transcript below!
BEX: Good evening, everybody! My name is Dr. Bex, and with me as always, is Jeff. We gotta come up with a prefix or a moniker for you. If anybody out there has any ideas, please let us know in the comments. So, today we are going to be taking a deep dive into the Missouri Medical Cannabis program. Yes, I said cannabis. Even though it’s the Missouri Medical “Marijuana” program, we say cannabis around here. Marijuana is a racist term that entered the American lexicon back in the thirties, and for some reason (Jeff coughs – Drug War) we still can’t shake it. Regardless, this episode is going to involve some state law, so you might wanna grab a paper and pencil.
JEFF: Let’s start out by telling you what most people want to know when they hear medical cannabis is legal in Missouri, “How do I get my card?” It’s really easy. Go to our website; www.myfeelstate.com. Hover your mouse over the words “patient info” and select “How to become a patient”. The first thing you will see is the “Sign Up Today” page. Filling out the requisite information will take you to the “Complete Your Personal Information” page. Complete that information and upload a picture of your driver’s license. Once you do that, you will be asked a series of questions ranging from current cannabis use to the types of ailments you suffer from. Follow all those steps through the Feel State website and your doctor’s visit with MMJRecs will only cost fifty dollars.
BEX: Fifty dollars is a steal–Feel State is hookin’ it up! That’s fifty dollars here versus typical, regularly priced cards at one hundred fifty dollars and up at other dispensaries. Once you’ve scheduled and had your appointment, and they are telemedicine only, by the way, MMJRecs will set up a profile for you on the Department of Health and Human Services website. Once that is done, they will send you an email that your profile is ready. Access your profile, pay the twenty five dollar state fee and then all you have to do is practice patience, just like when consuming an edible. Wait for the state to do its job just like you wait for your body to digest then first pass an edible through your liver.
JEFF: Now, the department of health and senior services has thirty days to process cannabis patient and caregiver applications, and applications are processed in the order they were received. If you received a confirmation email with an application reference code or application ID number, your application has been submitted and is in queue. If you did not, and the application shows as “open” status in the application portal, the application has not been submitted.
BEX: Why don’t we submit, for our cannabis patient’s approval, the laundry list of new products we have here at Feel State. Starting with Proper Cannabis. We just got in their Grape Mountain chemovar in the case. She tests at twenty one point one percent THC and a terp profile of Myrcene, Nerolidol, Humulene, Linalool. We’ve got Sugar Daddy live resin badder that clocks in at eighty three point seven THCA and one point nine percent CBN. We also have Chemical Romance live resin badder that clocks in at seventy six percent THCA and zero point three percent CBDA. Legend Diamonds OG sauce has ninety four point two percent THCA. Finally we have five packs of half gram Fatso Pre-rolls. These beauties clock in at twenty six point four percent THCA with a terp profile of Limonene, Nerolidol, Myrcene and Humulene.
JEFF: Submitted and approved, Doc! We’re not done, though. We’ve also got six chemovars from our newest brand; Terrapin Station. We’ve got Hell’s OG, Twerpin Station and Princess Leia with the lowest THC percentage at twenty six point eight eight percent. For our cannabis patients that aren’t fond of an overly psychoactive experience, or simply desire a chemovar with a heaping helping of canna-bi-diol, may we present Lemon G. Twelve percent THC and nine percent CBD. If you enjoy Purple Tonic by Illicit, you’re going to love Lemon G by Terrapin Station. And rounding out our Terrapin offerings, we have two chemovars; Sunset Sherbert and Cherry Diesel. These seven gram bags of fine, quality shake come with a free pack of wraps and clock in at twenty four point oh three and twenty point twelve respectively. Alright….what were we talking about before, Doc?
BEX: We were talking about cannabis patient applications. If you want to check the status of your application, grab paper and pencil and write down this address. Did y’all grab your paper and pencil? Here we go. https://mo-public.mycomplia.com/. When you get to the site, click on “Applications” on the left side of the screen. If there are no applications on the Applications tab then your application has been processed. Click “License Dashboard” to see the status of a processed application. Approved applications will have the status of “approved” and will list a PAT, or cannabis patient license number. Denied applications will have the status of “denied”. If you have been approved, you may download your license by clicking the “actions” button on an approved license. If you have any problems with this at home, come on down to Feel State and we will print and laminate your card for you.
JEFF: Now, just because Missourians can now legally access cannabis for medical purposes doesn’t mean you can ask your doctor for a medical recommendation because you stubbed your big toe. There are specific conditions a Missourian must have in order to qualify for a doctor’s recommendation. You have to be suffering from:
- Cancer
- Epilepsy
- Glaucoma
- Intractable migraines unresponsive to other treatment
- Or a chronic medical condition that causes severe, persistent pain or persistent muscle spasms, including but not limited to those associated with multiple sclerosis, seizures, Parkinson’s disease, and Tourette’s syndrome
BEX: You also qualify for a doctor’s recommendation if you suffer from:
- Debilitating psychiatric disorders, including, but not limited to, post-traumatic stress order, if diagnosed by a state licensed psychiatrist
- HIV or AIDS
- A chronic medical condition that is normally treated with a prescription medications that could lead to physical or psychological dependence, when a physician determines that medical use of cannabis could be effective in treating that condition and would serve as a safer alternative to the prescription medication
- A terminal illness
- In the professional judgment of a physician, any other chronic, debilitating or other medical condition, including, but not limited to, hepatitis C, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, inflammatory bowel disease, Crohn’s disease, Huntington’s disease, autism, neuropathies, sickle cell anemia, agitation of Alzheimer’s disease, cachexia, and wasting syndrome
JEFF: Alright. You’ve identified a condition that you and a physician believe cannabis can help with, you’ve had your doctor’s appointment, the state has approved your application and you’ve downloaded your card. What’s the next step? Well, you might think it’s to head to your nearest Feel State dispensary. But do you know how much you are allowed to purchase or how much you are allowed to have on your person at any given time?
BEX: According to the state, cannabis patients are allowed to have up to four ounces on their person. Patients are allowed to purchase up to four ounces or one hundred and twelve grams of cannabis in a thirty day period. Here’s the way it breaks down. The state says you are allowed thirty two M-M-Es, or Missouri Marijuana Equivalency Units. Each unit can equal three point five grams of flower, one gram of concentrate, or one hundred milligrams of THC infused into an edible.
JEFF: So, let’s say you go to your local Feel State dispensary and purchase a quarter of Terrapin Station flower, two half gram Heartland Labs vape carts and a three hundred milligram Honeybee milk chocolate bar. Six MME will come off your monthly allotment. One MME for each three point five grams of flower, half an MME for each vape cart and one MMEs for each hundred milligrams of THC in the chocolate bar. Two for the quarter, one for the vapes and three for the chocolate equals six MMEs. That leaves you with twenty six MMEs or ninety one grams.
BEX: While your heads are still spinning from all that math, we want to take a moment here to thank all the cannabis patients that we served on Green Wednesday and Black Friday. PUNCH UP AS ONLY YOU CAN, DOC!
JEFF: We also have some new products that dropped last week for Green Wednesday. New from Flora we have Grenadine, Cantaloupe Haze, Durban Thai, Mint Chocolate Chip, Lemon Cookie OG Haze, and Lemon Berry Candy. We also see the return of 10th Planet and Big Detroit Energy. So, with this latest drop from Flora and Terrapin, we now have forty chemovars across seven different brands. That’s gotta be one of the more diverse menus in Missouri, without question.
BEX: And if you ever have a question about what is left in your allotment, give us a call at three one four, two five four, zero zero four four, and anyone who answers the phone will be able to tell you what you have left. Now, it’s important to note that your thirty day period begins from the first day you make a purchase. That means if you purchased seven grams of flower on November second, those seven grams won’t return to your allotment until December first. Your allotment does not refresh at the beginning of each month. Now, if you’re thinking four ounces isn’t going to be enough, and, let’s be honest, some of us out there need more relief than others, you can apply with the state to increase your allotment. But you need to get two doctors to sign off that you need more medicine than you currently can obtain.
JEFF: Another question we get a lot here at Feel State is, “Will I lose my guns?” Our response comes right off the Frequently Asked Questions page of the DHSS website. “Article fourteen of the Missouri Constitution, which authorizes medical use of marijauna in Missouri, does not reference or prohibit the possession or purchase of firearms. However, federal law still may prohibit the possession or purchase of a firearm by individuals who use marijuana, regardless of whether a state has legalized marijuana for medical use. The Department of Health and Senior Services does not regulate the possession or purchase of firearms and therefore cannot say how the federal prohibition will be enforced within Missouri.”
BEX: Now, If you are applying for gun ownership, the federal firearm transfer form you have to fill out asks, “Are you an unlawful user of, or addicted to, marijuana or any depressant, stimulant, narcotic drug, or any other controlled substance?” However, in September, Missouri passed the 2nd Amendment Preservation Act defining medical cannabis patients as law-abiding citizens. So from the sound of it, Missouri isn’t interested in your guns.
JEFF: What are some other questions that cannabis patients have asked us, Doc? I know. How can I grow my own? You wouldn’t think a dispensary would answer that question, but given that the state is now allowing dispensaries to sell clones, we want our cannabis patients to be as educated as they can be. If you want to grow your own, fill out an application and pay the state one hundred three dollars and seventy three cents and you may grow up to six flowering plants. But you can’t just plant them in your front yard.
BEX: Plants must be grown in an enclosed, locked facility. One qualifying cannabis patient may cultivate up to six flowering plants, six non-flowering plants that are over fourteen inches tall, and six clones under fourteen inches tall at any given time. Two qualifying cannabis patients, who both hold valid cultivation cards, may share one enclosed, locked facility. No more than twelve flowering plants, twelve non-flowering plants, and twelve clones may be cultivated in a single, enclosed locked facility.
JEFF: Except when one of the qualifying cannabis patients, as a primary caregiver, also holds a cannabis patient cultivation identification card for a third qualifying patient, in which case that primary caregiver may cultivate six additional flowering cannabis plants, six additional non flowering cannabis plants, and six additional clones.
BEX: Which begs the question, how does one become a caregiver? Well, you have to be twenty-one years of age or older, you have to be responsible for managing the well-being of a qualified patient, and you have to be designated by the qualified patient on the primary caregiver’s application for an identification card. You also have to pay the state twenty five dollars and ninety four cents. Follow the same steps as if you were applying for a card yourself, only choose caregiver instead of patient. Caregivers may care for up to three patients and patients may have up to two caregivers.
JEFF: At this point we need to tell the fine folks how long their various cards are good for. Whether you are a patient, grower or caretaker, your card is good for one year. You may apply for a new card sixty days prior to, but no less than thirty days before the expiration date which is printed on the bottom of your card. If you forget that the expiration date is printed on the bottom of your card, don’t worry. The state will email you when it’s nearing expiration. Now, in addition to reapplying with the state for a new card, you must be recertified by your physician. Fortunately, physicians charge less for a renewal than they do for a new card.
BEX: Getting recertified is as simple as when you were certified in the first place. Contact your physician and schedule an appointment. If for whatever reason your doctor stopped giving recommendations, go to myfeelstate.com, click on how to become a cannabis patient, and check out the four different organizations we partner with to help Missourians get their card.
JEFF: Hey Doc. We buried the lead again. We forgot to tell our viewers about the incredible contest we have going on guaranteed to give one lucky cannabis patient a very Merry Christmas. We’re giving away a grow tent with all the accompanying accoutrement. During your next visit to Feel State, let your budtender know you’d like to be entered for a chance to win a three by three tent, nutrients, soil mix, and a fan from our friends at We Supply Medical and 314 Garden Supply. You can enter once per day from now until Christmas Eve.
BEX: Why don’t we take a few questions from our viewing audience.
Questions from the Audience
- Can homegrowers sell to a dispensary?
- How do I get a cultivation or manufacturing license in MO or other states?
- Will Feel State sell clones and seeds?
- Are guests allowed to come to the dispensary?
