Since Missourians passed their Nov marijuana legislation to make medical weed legal in their state (where I now reside) how long will it take for a dispensary to be up and running near you? Good question! I can only recount my experience with the process when Arizona legalized medical weed in 2009 and I was living in Scottsdale, a Phoenix suburb. It took most of a year for things to get organized and the players to be determined. Only the $trong survive in this business! And the protocols they have to follow! Big Brother is definitely watching your every transaction. Not that there is anything wrong with that, the camera's are mostly there to watch over the dispensary employees but my advice is to keep your chit chat to a minimum and keep it focused on what you are purchasing. I know of a woman at a dispensary who could not help but blab about the weed she was buying was not for her but for her minor son who has seizures. Oops, dispensary employee had to report it, cops arrest her, DPS takes her kid away. It's all bullshit but she had to pay an attorney a ton of money to get it fixed. Remember the slogan during WWII, "Loose Lips, Sink Ships" a little ditty to remind our servicemen that you never know who is listening. Anyway back to the subject of what is or will be happening in Missouri with regard to medical marijuana, cultivation and distribution during the next fast and furious year. You can bet there is a ton of wheeling and dealing being done as we speak. If it goes anything like Arizona first the Missouri State Health and Human Services dept will require you to register for a medical marijuana card, cost: probably about $150.00. But before you can get the card you will have to visit an approved state medical marijuana physician, the guy or gal who will determine if your condition or conditions will apply to the state's medical marijuana list of ailments that may qualify you, such as PTSD, chronic pain, cancer, etc. That exam will set you back probably another $150.00. So before you can get your first taste of medical marijuana you have already spent about $300.00 Medical Marijuana state issued cards and the medical exam have to be renewed yearly. My advice: don't apply for a card until you see dispensaries appearing, the whole process takes about 3 - 4 weeks between applying, getting the medical exam and getting your card in the mail. My first mistake was to get the card as soon as I could but then I discovered there was no place to buy medical marijuana. My card was 6 months old before I could make my first purchase! There will be a bunch of rules regarding growing weed yourself, how to qualify, how many plants can you grow, indoor or outdoor restrictions/guidelines, etc but only IF you live a certain number of miles away from the nearest medical marijuana dispensary, not near a school, etc. Each state is different. Since I am a veteran on disability with a limited income I'm going to give a shot to growing my own organically. I'm tired of spending over $200. per month on medical marijuana when my research tells me I can grow my own and much better weed.