Missouri Proposes Ban on Marijuana Businesses Paying Taxes in Cash

The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) has drafted a new emergency rule to address how licensed and certified medical marijuana facilities should pay any taxes, fees and penalties due to Missouri state governmental entities. Under the rule, medical marijuana businesses submit payments via any method normally acceptable other than cash.

The rule would cause major concern for legal medical marijuana businesses as banks may be hesitant to work with them while marijuana remains classified as a Schedule 1 Controlled Substance.

“We can’t afford to have something that eliminates cash as a basis for pay to the state,” Sherry DeJanes, majority holder of Emerald Garden, told local news station KSHB.

Small businesses in Missouri’s marijuana industry would be put at a disadvantage against the industry’s bigger players, DeJanes said.

DHHS will now receive public comments received before filing the new rule.

For more, visit the KSHB website.