Wow, today is February 1st which means that we are a just a handful of days away from recreational cannabis being legal in Missouri. To be honest I have found the information available less than forthcoming and quite hard to understand. What does recreational weed really mean for Missouri?
The Consumer:
While there are no firm answer on if February 6th is truly the day, the much anticipated start of sales hangs in limbo until the State makes things official. Confusing right?
So in November Missouri passed Amendment 3 which means that cannabis is now recreationally legal, this has come true just a couple years after we passed medical. Though we have passed this amendendmdent, the reality is we are 5 days away from the supposed start of sales and we still have absolutely no set or solid answers. February 3rd is the day that industry people are holding on to, this is the day that the awarded licenses will be announced, then they have 3 days until the flood gates are opened.
So while I cannot give you a solid answer on if this is going to come to flution on the 6th or not, I can tell you what to expect after rec sales do begin. Some dispensaries will be rec only, some dispensaries will be medical only, and then there will be the ones that do both. For recreational sales you will need to ensure that the dispensary you are going to is a rec dispensary, you will need to be 21 or older with a valid government ID. Sales will be cash only in most situations, if not all, it is better to show up to the dispensary with cash and hand. I say this lovingly and for the sanity of my dear dear friends who will be behind the scenes and helping you on the floor while maintinging their cool in the inevitable chaos. While most dispensaries do have ATMS, with rec being brand new you can expect long lines, and abornormally long wait times. As we have seen in many other states, the rush will slow down eventually, but no one can anticipate how long that will take.
I want to remind you guys to remain patient and kind to the staff helping you out at the dispensaries, recreational is new to EVERYONE. This means there will be learning curves and you do not know what you do not know until you know it. Move with grace and kindness to help ensure a great experince for everyone during these exciting and stressful times.
BUDTENDERS:
May the force be with you. May your cannabis be strong and your coffee stronger. In all reality I just want to shout you guys out. I know the next couple months are going to be a massive shit show, I know you guys are the front linemen so you are going to take the brunt of the abuse. Please know that you are seen and that I am with you guys. I have worked retail once upon a lifetime ago, but what you guys do is way more than that. Anyone can help someone pick out a cool halloween costume, but it takes someone special to help people pick out something that is going to make them feel better, regardless of if it is medical or recreationally.
Sending you all the love and good vibes.
So this part is for consumers, BE NICE TO YOUR BUDTENDERS. END OF STORY. PERIODT…
Manufactures, grows, and the buisness part:
If we as consumers are confused by the rules and regulations that haven’t even been set in stone, it is safe to say that the people behind the scenes are just as lost. With a need to better understand what was going on behind the scenes I was able to interview multiple people regarding their biggest concerns for their companies. As it stands there is confusion on if the people who are awarded licenses on the 3rd will be able to begin selling on the 3rd or if they are going to have to wait until the 6th. Another is the fact that the proposed rules that would go into effect on August 1st haven’t even been annouced yet. This is the literal definition of limbo.
One of the proposed rules is in regards to packaging regulations reads as such future packaging “may only utilize a single color, a product name, text indcating whether the product is sativa, indica, or hybrid, and up to two (2) logos or symbols of a different color or colors, whether images or text, including brand logos, provided the logos or symbols are no larger than two (2) inches in length and two (2) inches in height” and while I could try and phrase this better, Adolphus Busch of Teal and High Five put it best. He stated “Now you tell me how that does not kill brands creativity in missouri for cannabis manufactures, cultivatiors, and dispensaries.” Truth be told, he is right. This takes away brand personality, as someone whose entire life revolves around marketing and branding, this rule is ridiculous to me. I don’t understand what positive impact a regulation like this has on any industry, if anything it is meant to take away the personality, hard work, and care that has been put into every last detail.
Another issue this rule creates is the millions of dollars in wasted packing. Did you know that it takes hours to create packaging, you start with the sizing and picking out the products and then you have to brand them appropriately. There is a great amount of time spent on picking out colors, materials, and finalizing the packing looks and feels before it can even be sent into production. Once in production and approval is sent, it can take over 10 weeks for you to recieve said packing, this can take even longer depending on where in the world it is coming from. So aside from millions of dollars in wasted packing and the hefty finacial burden that companies will have to bare rebranding, I don’t see any good to this proposed rule.
Moving on to the next issue is staffing, before we passed recreational cannabis, there was roughly 250,000 *dont quote me* people who had legal access to purchase cannabis. Now there is upwards of 4 MILLION people who are going to be able to purchase as some point this year. Take a second to read the last sentance again, that is a staggering difference in numbers. Hiring reliable and consistent staff is hard in ANY market, but ensuring that this budding industry has the support it needs will take way more than I can even put into words.
Lastly and undeniably the worst part of all of it is that everyone, manufacturers, cultivators, and dispensaries alike are having to work with their eyes closed. They are quite literally feeling around in the dark, trying their best to prepair for the unknown. By basing their production and staffing on guesstimations and market trends in other states, they are able to loosly project what recreational cannabis could look like in Missouri. Most of these companies are working with absurdly small budgets while preparing as well. So while there is a lot of excitment and anticipation as we ramp up for rec, the stress of the uknown is weighing heavily on many.
In the next blog we will talk more about past trends with recreational cannabis and hopefully we will have an update on licensing and start of sale dates. For now the anticipated dates remain Februrary 3rd and February 6th.
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