A new medical marijuana dispensary is preparing to open its doors in Joplin | KSNF/KODE

JOPLIN, Missouri – A new medical marijuana dispensary is preparing to open its doors in Joplin.

Besame Wellness Dispensary held its soft opening this weekend.

To date, Missouri has 196 approved medical marijuana dispensaries, according to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services.

142 of them were approved for operation.

Nicholas Higbee, director of operations at Besame, says recent state legislation has encouraged more pharmacies to open that he hopes will end the stigma that exists on medical marijuana.

Nicholas Higbee, Director of Operations at Besame Wellness, says, “It has always been a Plan 1 drug and it has always been viewed as a foreign substance to be researched. Well, the more research we get and legalization, the more we learn about the plant and its benefits, and now we are really starting to scratch the surface of what the plant can really do. “

This will be the company’s first location outside the Kansas City area and the sixth location overall.

Besame Wellness opens its pharmacy in Joplin on September 9th.