A federal lawsuit filed Friday seeks to overturn state rules requiring Missouri residents to own the majority of any company operating a medical marijuana business. Mark Toigo, of Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, said in the lawsuit that he has been “deprived of significant and valuable business opportunities” due to the residency requirement. In Fact, he argues the law violates the commerce clause of the U.S. Constitution. The lawsuit says that because of the rule, applying for a business license in Missouri would be “futile.” It adds that Toigo is a minority owner in one Missouri firm, Organic Remedies MO Inc. (ORMO), but isn’t able to increase his ownership share above 49% because of the state rules, which are embedded into the state constitutional amendment legalizing medical marijuana.
Jack Suntrup, stltoday.com | the #1 St. Louis website, 12/15/2020 15:49:00