Justice Grown Expands To Utah, Missouri

A multi-state cannabis operator, Justice Grown, was recently awarded five total licenses across two states. The company was awarded two licenses in Utah and three in Missouri. The recent approval of these licenses brings Justice Grown’s operations to a total of seven states. In addition to Missouri and Utah, the company operates in Illinois, California, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Massachusetts. 

The competition for aspiring commercial cannabis cultivators in Missouri was fierce. With almost 600 applicants and only 60 spots, hundreds of groups were out thousands of dollars and the countless hours that were put into their applications. The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services has already been sued by Sarcoxie Nurseries, who felt the ruling on approved cannabis cultivation facilities was unjust. In Utah, the competition for “medical cannabis pharmacies”, as Utah calls dispensaries, was even tougher with only 14 total licenses awarded, and a maximum of two licenses per company. Justice Grown’s pharmacies will be in Salt Lake City and St. George, Utah. 

In addition to Justice Grown’s rapid operations expansion, Darin Carpenter, former Director of Operations for Tryke Companies was recently brought on as the Chief Executive Officer of Justice Grown. Carpenter says, “We are ecstatic and honored to hear that we have been selected as recipients of licenses for Missouri and Utah’s medical cannabis programs. We could not have done this without the tireless work from our business development team. We look forward to serving the great people of these two states.”

Both Utah and Missouri passed medicinal cannabis into law in 2018. Patients in Utah say that they have struggled to find doctors that will recommend cannabis for medicinal use. Some going to as many as five doctors to get a recommendation. Though some have been recommended by physicians for medicinal use, Utah says they will not be accepting applications to the state for medical patient cards until March of 2020. In Missouri, that is not the case. According to a Missouri cannabis publication, Greenway, 26,511 people have already been approved for patient cards in Missouri as of December 30th, 2019. 

Justice Grown has a few blurbs on the About Us page of their website, explaining the company’s mission. They include “providing safe, legal access to cannabis products, implementing sustainable farming methodologies while never using synthetic pesticides, and working to undo the damage done by cannabis prohibition through action and charitable giving.”

The company has two dispensaries already operating in Pennsylvania, and are on track to open another dispensary and a cultivation facility in the state in 2020. The company is set to open its first recreational dispensary in Santa Rosa, California, as well as expanding and improving its cultivation operation in the state. Currently under construction is a New Jersey cultivation operation, as well as the state’s first Justice Grown dispensary. Illinois is also expecting a cultivation facility from Justice Grown in 2020.