Veterans John and Kara Grady received a Facebook message last week from a man who was "looking for a female veteran to be part of our dispensary license."
Being a veteran is one of the seven categories that makes people eligible to win one of the state's social-equity cannabis licenses, called "microbusiness licenses." The other categories range from having a lower income or living in an area considered impoverished to having past arrests or incarcerations related to cannabis offenses.
When the Gradys — who run Slaphappy Beverage Co. that sells hemp-derived THC drinks — turned him down, the man began attacking them on their social media pages.
"I was like, 'What kind of tactics are these?'" John Grady said in an interview with The Independent. "You have to ask yourself — if it's that competitive on the microbusiness licenses, then really, what's going on?"
Just hours before Grady received that message, the Missouri Division of Cannabis Regulation issued a warning about "predatory practices" in social-equity cannabis licensing throughout the country. And those tactics are likely escalating, with the next round of applications running from April 15 to 29.
Read more at missouriindependent.com