A recent report from State Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick reveals that Missouri’s marijuana industry was launched using a flawed application and evaluation process, resulting in millions of dollars in litigation expenses. The Division of Cannabis Regulation approved a scoring process with significant design flaws, leading to costly legal battles. Applicants were able to circumvent the blind scoring process by providing identifiers based on their company names, resulting in a higher rate of license approvals. The report also highlights issues with processing business change requests and tracking progress. Fitzpatrick commended the Department of Health and Senior Services for their efforts but emphasized the need for improvements to ensure the legitimacy of the licensing process.