Kansas City’s first medical marijuana dispensary to open. What patients should know
Medical marijuana is finally coming to Kansas City.
Nearly two years after Missouri voters approved a Constitutional amendment on the 2018 ballot, the state’s medical marijuana program is beginning to deliver the first product to patients.
But the rollout is expected to be slow. Prices are high and varieties and quantities are limited.
Fresh Green LLC in Lee’s Summit plans to make the first legal sale of marijuana in the metro area when it opens its doors at noon Monday. The dispensary is owned by Rob and Bianca Sullivan, who have worked together for years through their family law firm.
The two have worked countless hours preparing their store at 1041 NE Sam Walton Lane. They also plan to open a second location in Waldo within the coming months.
But dispensaries are the last line in the supply chain. Only a few cultivators across Missouri have plants mature enough for harvesting. And the first harvests are just making their way to a handful of sellers.
On Saturday, N’Bliss Cannabis in the St. Louis area celebrated the state’s first sales of marijuana. It was charging $59.99 for 1/8 of an ounce of marijuana.
Patients should not expect a full suite of products on opening day.
Fresh Green eventually will sell dozens of strains of flower and marijuana-infused products like gummies and soda. But Monday’s sale will be just marijuana flower. On Friday, Bianca Sullivan said she still didn’t know exactly how much product she would receive or how much she would ultimately have to charge patients.
She planned on selling 1/8-ounce bags for somewhere around $60 or $70 — a price that’s likely to drop as supply increases.
“It’s very high priced in the beginning because of supply and demand. Our price is set by the cultivator,” she said.
Industry insiders expect Missouri’s prices to start out high as supplies are limited but like other states with marijuana programs, the cost should fall over time.
The Colorado Department of Revenue reported marijuana prices were up to $1,316 per pound of bud at the beginning of this month. That’s about $82 per ounce.
Missouri’s program allows patients to buy up to 4 ounces of dried, unprocessed marijuana per month.
The first shipment will be limited with more deliveries coming in the future weeks, she said. The store plans to be open from noon to 7 p.m. Monday to Friday and from noon to 6 p.m. on Saturday.
To purchase, patients must have their state medical marijuana card and photo identification.
Fresh Green will limit customers to small quantities. Sullivan said she expects a line outdoors, but isn’t sure how fast it will move. Some customers will likely want to get in, buy a bag and get out. But others will likely want to linger to learn more about available strains and talk with employees.
“I’m trying to reach as many people as I can. I’m also trying to stay open as long as I can,” she said.
Still, the availability of any product is a significant development for patients.
“I feel like I’ve been waiting my whole life,” said Brenda Dougherty, who dropped in to check on the progress at Fresh Green earlier this week.
The 57-year-old from Warrensburg planned to be among the dispensary’s first customers. She suffers from a chronic pain condition and said medical marijuana would help alleviate her pain and help her rest.
Dougherty said doctors have upped her dosage of pain killers with little success at controlling her pain. She pulled down her shirt to reveal fentanyl patches on her chest.
“I don’t want to take any more pills,” she said. “I know this will help. To be quite honest, I have tried it and, yes, it does help.”
Fresh Green sits off Missouri 291 in a small strip center next to a Sport Clips and GameStop. The building once housed a Blockbuster video store.
“I used to take my kids here,” said Sullivan.
Now one of them is working in the dispensary: Her 21-year-old son hoped to make the first sale on Monday.
Sullivan said she was excited to finally open the doors to patients. Aside from marking a major milestone, she said the business hoped its designation as the first to open in the area would give it a competitive edge as others begin to open shop.
“Being first was really important to us,” she said. “I’m just so excited.”
Missouri regulators licensed about 40 dispensaries to open in the Kansas City area.
The Missouri Department of Health and Human Services on Saturday said it expects most of the state’s 192 approved dispensaries to be open by the end of the year.
“Missouri patients have always been our North Star as we work to implement the state’s medical marijuana program,” Dr. Randall Williams, department director, said in a news release. “We greatly appreciate how hard everyone has worked so that patients can begin accessing a safe and well-regulated program.”
This story was originally published October 17, 2020 at 2:42 PM with the headline "Kansas City’s first medical marijuana dispensary to open. What patients should know."
