The Missouri House Veterans Committee passed a bill to allow the Legislature to check how much money is going from Medical Marijuana taxes to the Veterans Commission. When voters approved a constitutional amendment to allow cannabis for medical use, it also approved where the money goes.

DHSS Medical Marijuana Regulation Section Deputy Director Amy Moore addressed concerns about spending incoming money on legal appeals from rejected pot dispensaries and growers. She says the complaints were expected, budgeted for — and are coming out in the agency’s favor.

Listen to an excerpt of Moore’s testimony (11:15)

“We have been, as an agency very successful in our appeals. Our scoring system has held up our decisions in other areas of licensing and how we went through the application process. Other decisions about licensing, those have also held up on scoring-related appeals. I believe … of the decisions we have on those so far, 13 of our application denials have been upheld affirmed, and four have been reversed. So we’re doing pretty well,” Moore told the committee.

Program Director Lyndall Fraker estimates the Veterans Commission could receive $27 million during the first two years of medical marijuana sales.