Operators of Missouri cannabis businesses can now share their ideas in a new way with the creation of the Missouri Cannabis Regulation Collaborative, which was announced Tuesday.

The collaborative seeks to foster discussion among individuals across the state with different levels of experience in the cannabis industry, regardless of the size or type of business. Applicants who wish to apply must hold ownership or leadership positions within licensed cannabis businesses.

Topics that may be discussed in the collaborative include the potential federal rescheduling of marijuana as a less risky drug, Farm Bill revisions and other subjects related to the cannabis market in Missouri.

The effort emerged following feedback from licensees who sought more opportunities to share ideas with regulators and provide input on the cannabis industry in the state.

“We decided to have this collaborative to really give an opportunity for licensees and regulators to come together so that we can strengthen our relationships, collaborate, problem solve, and just share information and knowledge in pursuit of our mutual goals to have a successful cannabis program,” said Tara McKinney, public outreach director with the Division of Cannabis Regulation.

Staff from the Division of Cannabis Regulation and the Department of Health and Senior Services will review applications and select participants. The collaborative will have a maximum of 30 members.

Members will fill two-year terms, attend no more than two in-person workshops in Jefferson City, attend six virtual meetings per year and participate in other work between meetings as needed.

McKinney said that there isn’t yet a specific timeline for the process of forming the collaborative, but she said that she hopes that it would have its first meeting in late summer.

The application period opened Tuesday and will run until June 18. The Division of Cannabis Regulation has shared additional information on the program and the application form online.

This story was originally published by Missouri Business Alert, a fellow member of the KC Media Collective.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KFVS) – The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently announced multiple cases of H5N1, also called “Avian Flu” or “Bird Flu,” were confirmed in human patients related to their contact with dairy cows.

“Based on the information available at this time, this case does not change CDC’s current A(H5N1) bird flu human health risk assessment for the U.S. general public because all three sporadic cases had direct contact with infected cows,” the CDC’s report said.

While the USDA works with several states to increase testing on dozens of herds, Missouri agriculture officials said there’s no reason for consumers to panic, as several barriers exist between an animal contracting a virus and that animal’s products reaching store shelves.

First, cattle ranchers, farmers, and veterinarians are easily able to notice when a cow gets sick.

“It’s like an upset stomach,” said Scott Poock, Associate Professor of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Missouri Extension. “If she’s got this upset stomach, she doesn’t eat, and because she doesn’t eat, she doesn’t make milk.”

Poock said because of how devastating a highly contagious disease would be to a cattle-farming operation, he said there’s a robust incentive to identify and diagnose early.

The Director of the Missouri Department of Agriculture, Chris Chinn, said the state is third in the nation for beef cows and constantly monitors for health and safety.

“We have protocols in place to stop anything from entering the food chain, whether it be in the meat processing side, the dairy side, or the poultry side,” Chinn said. “There are many layers of protection for the consumer, – because our farming and ranching community consumes the same food that they raise for consumers.”

The USDA has more information on how the agency monitors and responds to livestock and poultry diseases.

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WEST PLAINS, Mo. (KY3) – New courses are on the way for students in West Plains, Mo., after Missouri State University’s campus there announced it would be adding band.

Note by note, line by line, on their own, some students on the MSU-West Plains campus have continued their love of music, but this fall, they’ll be able to get credit for it.

“Now that it’s coming closer to home, I’m incredibly excited,” Sophomore Morgan Totty explained.

Totty stayed in West Plains for college.

“I went to high school here in West Plains and was part of the music program,” Totty said.

And the new instructor is no stranger to Totty. Rocky Long was the band director at West Plains High School for many years.

“Wonderful instruction. Learned so much from his class,” Totty stated.

Long says the new program will start small, and grow every year.

“We’re going to start with a limited catalog offering. We’re going to do a community/university band,” Long explained.

The school’s chancellor says this is a way students can stay close to home.

“Connect with our region. Connect with our students coming out of high school who wanted to continue to play,” Dr. Dennis Lancaster said.

Students can register for the program now. Totty hopes that the new course at the two-year university will be able to help him grow as a musician.

“As I move forward, hopefully transferring to a bigger college that allows me more availability for their programs as well,” Totty added.

The program will be housed in the former Putnam Student Center.

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