Elevate Holistics had the pleasure of picking the brain of an attorney who specializes in cannabis. Because even though the DHSS has laid out a lot of rules to guide us through the medical cannabis process in the Show-Me-State, there’s still some confusion surrounding certain topics like guns, caregivers, and cultivation. In this post, we’re going to zero in on the subject of possession for patients and caregivers. And who better to ask than a lawyer Mo Greenway magazine announced as One to Watch in the cannabis industry?
Cannabis Attorney Andrew Goodwin
Meet Kansas City-based attorney, Andrew Goodwin. He’s an experienced litigation attorney who has always been interested in cannabis. He’s witnessed first-hand the positive effects of cannabis on his injured clients, helping them avoid or get off of opioids. He followed Amendment 2 in Missouri closely and was compelled to become involved in the cannabis industry.
Drew and his partner’s legal services have written and won seven applications for cannabis businesses, three of which are for their company in St. Joe, Vertical Enterprise—that means he’s versed in the compliance of cannabis patients, cultivation, manufacturing, and dispensing. On top of that, he’s a cannabis adjunct professor at UMKC. (Sheesh, expert much?)
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What Drew Says About Possession in Missouri
Elevate’s own Russell Colby got to interview Andrew and ask about some of the not-so-clear medical marijuana laws our Facebook followers and Missouri cardholders are concerned about. Possession was one of the hot topics. Depending on whether you cultivate or not, there are different possession amounts for patients and caregivers. Russell asked Andrew to clear it up for us.
Russell (Elevate Holistics): What are the possession limits for patient and patient cultivators?
Andrew (Cannabis Law Attorney): Okay. So the possession limit is eight ounces. If you have a medical card, you can possess eight ounces, or half a pound, or it’s equivalent in extract or in manufactured products, edibles or whatever. If you’re a cultivator, if you have a patient cultivation card, you can have 12 ounces. But that last four ounces, that additional amount you’re allowed to have, has to be at your house or under your control at your residence. So it’s really complicated. But yeah, if you’re out and about, don’t have more than eight ounces on you. At your home, if you have a patient cultivation card, you can have up to 12 ounces or equivalent.
Russell (Elevate Holistics): And that is based on a timeframe that equates into four ounces per month, 30 days. You can have up to a 60-day supply if you’re a non-cultivator. And then a cultivator can have a 90-day supply. But what’s important, as you said with the 90-day supply, is that at no point should you be riding around with the entire supply. One of those four ounces should be kept securely at the home of the resident … Correct? Is that what you’re saying?
Andrew (Cannabis Law Attorney): Exactly. Yeah. You got it. I mean, the constitution speaks in terms of time limits, right? You shouldn’t have more than a 30, or a 60, or a 90 or whatever. But yeah, it equates into the four ounces, eight ounces, and 12 ounces we were talking about. And on those, I don’t know if you guys have seen the equivalency units there. They use that same rule that’s been applied widely and out in Colorado to convert the flower into equivalents for extracts and edibles. And I don’t know what formula they’re using, but it seems like a lot to me. So one-eighth turns into one gram of extract, so like a gram cartridge for instance. So under just our normal framework of being able to purchase four ounces a month, you can buy 32 gram cartridges. And for anybody who’s ever used those, they’ve got a decent amount of mileage in them, and I can’t imagine somebody running out. Right?
Possession Limit Recap
- A patient or caregiver can only purchase four ounces (considered a 30-day supply) at a time.
- A patient or caregiver (non-cultivators) can lawfully possess eight ounces (considered a 60-day supply).
- Patients with a cultivation license can possess 12 ounces, but this includes:
- 8 ounces: Can be possessed anywhere.
- 4 ounces: Must be kept at the registered cultivation location and cannot be transported.
- Don’t carry more than eight ounces of MMJ with you.
- A caregiver can possess a separate limit for each patient under their care and a separate limit for themselves if they are a qualifying patient.
Whew! That’s quite a few scenarios! But if you keep in mind how Drew broke it down to Russell—you can have up to eight ounces on you, and if you’re a cultivating caregiver or patient, keep the last four ounces of your 12-ounce limit at home—you’ll be legit.
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