Missouri launches state app to help cannabis, alcohol and tobacco sellers verify customers' ages

Missouri has launched a state-built app, Show Me Your Age, to help businesses that sell age-restricted products, including cannabis, verify that customers meet legal age limits. The Missouri Office of Administration's Information Technology Services Division announced the tool on Oct. 14, GovTech reported the same day, and The Marijuana Herald reported on it Oct. 16.

The app, also called the Age Verification Application, lets retailers, venues and public entities confirm a customer's age by scanning the barcode on a valid driver's license or entering a birth date manually, according to both reports. When a scan flags irregularities that suggest a license may be invalid or fraudulent, the system issues a caution alert, and staff are prompted to inspect the physical ID before completing the sale.

The tool was developed with the Missouri Division of Alcohol and Tobacco Control, the Department of Health and Senior Services and the Department of Revenue. The Marijuana Herald noted that the Department of Health and Senior Services oversees Missouri's regulated medical and recreational marijuana industry, and that adults 21 and older may buy recreational marijuana in the state. GovTech reported that the effort is meant to curb underage sales of alcohol, tobacco and cannabis.

The app also includes reporting features that let administrators track total scans, daily and monthly volume, successful verifications, expired ID scans, caution alerts and scan failures. GovTech, citing the app's disclaimer, reported that ID information is processed only on the user's device and that the app does not store, transmit or retain personal information or send scanned data to the state.

Both outlets describe the app as an additional tool alongside existing ID checks. Businesses can find it through the Missouri Department of Revenue's Show Me Your Age website.