Kansas City, Missouri is making history, having recently opened its first medical cannabis dispensary, Fresh Green, at two locations.
Medical cannabis dispensaries have been a long time coming for Kansas City. There have been plans in the works to make medical legalization a reality since 2018, when Missouri voters first passed a medical cannabis amendment called Amendment 2. In October, two dispensaries opened in St. Louis, Missouri.
Fresh Green is one of the 40 dispensaries that have been approved to operate in Kansas City, but the business is the first to officially open its doors. The owner of the dispensary chain, Rob Sullivan, has a background in advocacy and cannabis law, as well as knowledge of retail and cultivation operations. “Fresh Green as a company hopes to fulfill the mission of bettering the lives of those patients that will benefit from medical cannabis but may not be able to afford it,” the company’s website states. “The company will be operated for profit; however, a dedicated percentage of that profit will always be earmarked for discounts available to veterans and low-income patients in need.”
The first Fresh Green dispensary opened up in Lee’s Summit. By the end of its first day open, reports state that the dispensary had sold out their entire stock of products, and reportedly had served over 500 customers.
Fresh Green’s successful launch is proof to many that medical cannabis can, and will, benefit the state’s economy greatly. “I think there are many ways that this could help the economy,” said University of Missouri, Kansas City business major Mary Petropoulos. “It has the potential to boost more small businesses, create jobs and push more brick-and-mortar stores to help the real-estate industry out in this massive surge of online shopping.”
Those who want to become medical cannabis card holders to take advantage of the medical cannabis products in Kansas City and St. Louis should apply on the Missouri Department of Health & Senior Services website.
