Columbia marijuana dispensary focused on 'safe, accessible' access on first day of recreational sales

Columbia adults 21 and older now can buy recreational marijuana.

The first official day of sales started Tuesday inside Columbia city limits following the city council approving license and zoning rules Monday night. City staff had prepared for the last month to six weeks for implementing the license conversion one day after approval.

More: Columbia City Council updates marijuana license, zoning rules ahead of inside city limit sales

There was a short lineup of customers outside of High Profile at 1500 Interstate 70 Drive SW prior to its 10 a.m. opening Tuesday. The dispensary already was expecting increased foot traffic for Tuesday and so prepared by separating medical and recreational check-in lines and adding more point-of-sale stations and staff, said Abby Kramer, area manager.

Other Columbia dispensaries include Green Releaf, Hippos Marijuana Dispensary, Shangri-La, 3Fifteen Primo Cannabis, and Good Day Farm.

More: Columbia marijuana dispensaries gear up to transition to recreational sales

The range of products at High Profile includes cannabis flowers, edibles, tinctures, infused beverages and those more medical-focused, like transdermal patches, lotions and balms that do not have the psychoactive effect. Missourians purchase up to 3 ounces of dried marijuana in a single purchase. This is the same as 24 grams of a concentrate or 2,400 milligrams in infused edible or drinkable items.

"We are all about safe and accessible cannabis purchases. ... This is going to create a better source for community and education around it and (teaching how to) avoid overconsumption," Kramer said. "We recognize medical patients really carried this market and so we prioritize that queue."

That will be the practice moving forward. Budtenders at High Profile who conduct the sales also wear gloves to prevent cross-contamination between products and to prevent skin oils from impacting products. For non-prepackaged items, staff also use tongs, and specially calibrated scales to dose out products.

High Profile has five locations in Missouri and was able to open other stores to recreational sales Saturday after the state approved recreational sales on Friday. Some customers at these stores were there out of curiosity, Kramer said.

"I think it is just the excitement for people to feel that they can purchase lab-test cannabis and that it is safe consumption," Kramer said. "There is a lot of curiosity of all different ages, backgrounds and genders. They want to know if they want to put it into their life."

Health educators with Columbia/Boone County Public Health and Human Services at a recent Narcan demonstration and distribution highlighted that street-purchased marijuana has the potential of being laced with fentanyl. There is not only that concern, but if there is mold growth in a street product, Kramer said.

"Inhaling mold is terrifying and we have tests for mold and other (safety) testing," she said. "... I was a part of the black market for a long time. When I saw Missouri was really trying to make a really progressive movement, I thought it was incredible. I have a big passion for the medical side of it."

The switchover from medical to recreational is exciting because it is giving people a place and a chance to work since more staff were hired in the months since the recreational marijuana amendment passed, she said.

"We increased over 100 people in our five locations. Each store got about 20 people added to their rosters," Kramer. "They have skills that have laid dormant, they haven't been able to utilize. I'm excited to see this industry grow. ... It doesn't have to be for everyone, it just has to be safe and accessible. I can't push that enough.

"There is a lot of stuff in the world and here you are going to have people looking out for you and what you are putting in your body. I like that."

Marijuana sales exceeded $12 million in its opening weekend, with $5 million in sales for the first day on Friday, the Missouri Cannabis Trade Association said.

Around two-thirds of sales were for recreational, while the remaining one-third still was medical-related.

"Our industry was adamant that we would be ready on day one to deliver for Missourians, but I never would have imagined this type of reception,” said Andrew Mullins, MoCannTrade executive director, in a news release. "To have sold more on opening day than Illinois is quite astounding."

Illinois on its first day of recreational sales in 2020 had roughly $3.1 million in sales, MoCannTrade noted.

"These opening weekend sales numbers are a testament to what a great program the Missouri Department of Health has run as well as the level of excitement we see from Missourians about cannabis legalization. The best is yet to come," Mullins said.

Charles Dunlap covers local government, community stories and other general subjects for the Tribune. You can reach him at cdunlap@columbiatribune.com or @CD_CDT on Twitter. Subscribe to support vital local journalism.

This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Columbia dispensaries mark first day of recreational marijuana sales