Author
Rebecca Rivas covers Missouri's cannabis industry. A graduate of the University of Missouri School of Journalism, she has been reporting in Missouri since 2001, including more than a decade as senior reporter and video producer at the St. Louis American, the nation’s leading African-American newspaper.
Missouri Independent is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.
Missouri regulators aware of ads seeking to sell microbusiness cannabis licenses
By: Rebecca Rivas - October 16, 2023
Missouri’s Division of Cannabis Regulation said last week that it’s “become aware” that some people who recently received small-scale cannabis business licenses — which are meant to boost opportunities for businesses in disadvantaged communities — are now trying to sell them. On Oct. 2, the state issued 48 licenses to the winners of a lottery […]
Farm bill debate includes hemp regulation as issue takes center stage in Missouri recall
By: Rebecca Rivas - October 11, 2023
Hemp is often known for being the part of the cannabis plant that doesn’t get people high. It’s full of CBD, a nonpyschoactive cannabinoid that helps people relax and often found in massage oils and sleep aids. But much has changed since hemp was taken off the controlled substance list in 2018 by the last […]
Companies can now work with state to destroy recalled Missouri marijuana products
By: Rebecca Rivas - October 6, 2023
Companies around Missouri have been required to store nearly 63,000 recalled cannabis products since early August. But if they want to destroy that product, they can now consult with state cannabis regulators about how to do it, after a Sept. 29 hearing on the recall was postponed until at least December. Licensed cannabis businesses may […]
Opposing sides of Missouri marijuana recall to face off in administrative hearing
By: Rebecca Rivas - September 27, 2023
Recalls on cannabis products have become common in other states where marijuana is legal. But when Missouri regulators issued their first recall last month, veterans of the industry were surprised. While recalls most commonly involve a company cooperating with regulators to understand the issue — was there bacteria in the product, or perhaps a wrong […]
Confusion continues over how hemp was processed in recalled Missouri cannabis products
By: Rebecca Rivas - September 25, 2023
At the center of Missouri’s massive marijuana recall is a THC concentrate, or distillate, made partially from hemp. Robertsville-based marijuana manufacturer Delta Extraction has denied accusations that it illegally imported marijuana into the state by arguing it actually imported a non-psychoactive hemp product that was converted into THC once in Missouri. The commissioner overseeing Delta’s […]
Missouri marijuana regulators defend product testing regime in aftermath of recall
By: Rebecca Rivas - September 19, 2023
The Missouri Division of Cannabis Regulation is responding to questions about the effectiveness of the software it uses to track information about marijuana products, including the results of state-mandated testing. In a guidance document issued on Monday, the agency addressed questions regarding testing regulations that cannabis businesses rely on to ensure product is safe — […]
Missouri colleges expand cannabis programs to prepare students for ‘green jobs’
By: Rebecca Rivas - September 18, 2023
Karina Hernandez’s ideal work environment is surrounded by plants, with her hands in the dirt. Although she already has a biology degree, she recently decided to go back to school to take classes in horticulture at St. Louis Community College at Meramec, the state’s largest horticulture program. And she was surprised to see courses on […]
Missouri company at center of cannabis recall used hemp instead of marijuana in products
By: Rebecca Rivas - September 11, 2023
Richard Batenburg Jr. feels deceived and cheated. His cannabis brand, Colorado-based The Clear, has been partnering with a licensed Missouri manufacturer to produce pre-rolled joints. Some were infused with a THC concentrate, or distillate, purchased from a Robertsville-based company called Delta Extraction. When the state issued a recall last month of all products made with […]
Did recalled Missouri cannabis products pose health risks? Regulators aren’t sure
By: Rebecca Rivas - September 11, 2023
Marijuana dispensaries and warehouses across Missouri are holding on to more than 62,000 products in special vaults. The state suspects that they were infused with a questionable THC concentrate, or distillate, purchased from a Robertsville-based licensed marijuana manufacturer called Delta Extraction. Delta Extraction is fighting to get the Aug. 14 recall overturned — and one […]
Missouri judge dismisses cannabis company’s lawsuit against state to stop recall
By: Rebecca Rivas - August 30, 2023
A Missouri judge denied on Wednesday a marijuana company’s effort to stop the recall of 62,000 products containing the company’s THC concentrate that the state deemed a “potential threat to health and safety.” The company, Delta Extraction, is a Robertsville-based licensed marijuana manufacturer that specializes in making THC distillate, a highly potent and pure form […]
Missouri announces lottery results for microbusiness cannabis licenses
By: Rebecca Rivas - August 29, 2023
The state began the process of doling out small-scale cannabis business licenses on Monday, announcing the winners of a lottery determining who gets to participate in Missouri’s microbusiness program. Six winners were selected in each of Missouri’s eight Congressional districts. Of the six in each district, two will be microbusiness dispensaries, and four will be […]
Can I bring my weed into the music festival at the public park?
By: Rebecca Rivas - August 25, 2023
So you’re heading to the Evolution Festival this weekend in St. Louis, and you picked up a “music festival fanny pack” stuffed with pre-rolled joints, vapes, THC-infused mints, and the works at Hippos dispensary in Chesterfield. Now that recreational marijuana is legal, you’re thinking you can roll right through the gate with your Barbie-pink fanny […]