More than 2,100 seek to operate medical marijuana facilities

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) - Missouri has received more than 2,100 applications from businesses that want to run medical marijuana facilities.

The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services said Tuesday that more than half of the applicants - 1,163 - were seeking to operate one of the 192 dispensaries the state plans to license. Coming in second was applications for cultivation facilities, with 554. The state plans to license just 60 such facilities.

The Jefferson City News-Tribune reports that the state also received 415 applications for medical marijuana-infused manufacturing, 17 for testing labs and 14 for transportation.

Missouri legalized marijuana for medicinal purposes in November. The state anticipates it will license businesses by the end of the year. The industry is expected to top $100 million in sales by 2025.

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Information from: Jefferson City News Tribune, http://www.newstribune.com