SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — Nearly two years after the approval of medical marijuana in Missouri, it’s now likely to be available to the public by the end of the month.

The Medical Marijuana program has already made a $2 million transfer to the Missouri Veterans Commission. The program will have 4% of products sold go to the commission in addition to licensing fees.

Lisa Cox, with the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, says the hold up in the program has been equipment delivery delays to the St. Louis testing lab as a result of the pandemic.

Cox says they are likely to get everything ready soon.

“The big thing that we’ve been waiting for, kind of a milestone for the program, is the first testing laboratory to get through to that point,” said Cox. “We expect very soon that the first testing facility will be going through that commencement inspection and will be approved to operate soon.”

According to the Springfield News-Leader, about five dispensaries in Southwest Missouri plan to be ready to go as soon as possible or by the end of the year.

Old Route 66 Wellness, a dispensary in Springfield, could be one of the first dispensaries to sell medical marijuana products.

Other dispensaries that have been approved to operate and will be ready to sell once testing is completed are two locations near St. Louis.