Missouri’s cannabis industry is the new “gold rush,” said St. Louis couple Tiffany and Anwar Lee, and they’re considering buying a ticket for the lottery to get in.
Their ticket is a $1,500 application fee for a spot in a lottery, making them eligible for a limited number of cannabis microbusiness licenses, and it’s refundable if they don’t get picked. The program is meant to boost opportunities in the industry for businesses in disadvantaged communities, and it was part of the constitutional amendment to legalize recreational marijuana that voters passed in November.
“In that industry, there’s going to always be room to make money, or at least to maintain a decent standard of living,” Anwar Lee said during an interview at an outreach event in St. Louis last week organized by state marijuana regulators.
The Lees were among those gathered at the event to hear from Abigail Vivas, Missouri’s new chief equity officer, who went through all the eligibility requirements for a microbusiness license. She held three other outreach events last week in Jefferson City, Lee’s Summit, and Springfield.
But even if the Lees meet the eligibility requirements, their shot at winning is slim.
Read more at missouriindependent.com