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Deadline for Missouri’s new marijuana plain packaging is Sept. 1
Marijuana companies face a hard deadline to meet Missouri’s new plain packaging requirements on Sept. 1 — more than a year after the rule was initially put in place. For decades, there’s been a global movement urging “plain packaging” on tobacco products — or packaging with limited colors and frills — after numerous studies found […]
Ban on Missouri hemp-THC products delayed in dust up between governor, secretary of state
The governor’s ban on intoxicating hemp products hit a delay Wednesday after Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft rejected the emergency rules detailing how it would have been enforced. Gov. Mike Parson signed an executive order earlier this month to remove all hemp-derived THC edibles and beverages from store shelves and threatening penalties to any […]
‘Unprecedented’: Second massive Missouri cannabis recall leaves some companies scrambling
State regulators issued two cannabis recall notices last week involving 135,000 marijuana products — more than double Missouri’s first massive cannabis product recall exactly one year ago. “I’ve never seen recalls of this magnitude in any other state,” said Nick Rinella, CEO of Hippos Cannabis. “This is kind of unprecedented.” Since the announcement, Rinella and […]
Hemp industry leaders call Missouri governor’s order banning THC products an ‘overreach’
Walking into Total Wine stores in Missouri this summer, it was impossible not to see the display for hemp-derived THC infused beverages. Total Wine, the country’s largest liquor retailer, set the tone for the alcohol industry in June when it began carrying the products at its seven Missouri stores. “It has been amazing for us,” […]
Missouri cannabis leader accused of using ‘predatory’ contracts to win social-equity licenses
When John Payne was leading the campaign to legalize recreational cannabis in 2022, he faced a major hurdle. Black business owners were largely excluded from the medical marijuana program when licenses to grow and sell cannabis were doled out by the state in 2019, and many feared history was about to repeat itself. So to […]
No-excuse absentee voting has officially begun for Missouri’s Aug. 6 primary
For the next two weeks, Missouri voters can cast an absentee ballot in person at designated locations — and they no longer need an excuse to do it. In 2022, state lawmakers passed legislation allowing no-excuse absentee voting during the two weeks prior to each election. For the Aug. 6 primary, that means up until […]
Governor signs bill designed to lower suicide rate of Missouri veterans
Gov. Mike Parson signed legislation Thursday to make preventing veteran suicide a top priority for the state agency that aids these residents, the Missouri Veterans Commission. The suicide rate among Missouri’s veterans is nearly double the state rate and one of the highest in the country. After three years of trying, Republican state Rep. Dave […]
Company at center of Missouri marijuana recall faces $20 million lawsuit
Delta Extraction, the Robertsville-based marijuana manufacturer at the center of Missouri’s massive product recall last year, is being sued for nearly $20 million in unpaid invoices and loss of revenue by a former contractor. SND Equipment Leasing is a Missouri company that created the THC concentrate oil that led to regulators’ decision to pull more […]
Democratic rivals for Missouri governor see abortion rights as path to victory over GOP
When Crystal Quade and Mike Hamra traveled to the Democratic Governors Association Conference in Minneapolis last month, they came with their stump speeches ready. Yet before they could push their own platforms as gubernatorial candidates, they had to convince people that a Democrat from Missouri was worth paying attention to. “Folks are excited about Missouri […]
Slow process of Missouri marijuana expungement drags on months after constitutional deadlines
IRONTON — Sammye White balanced carefully on a stepladder as she pulled a hefty box marked “1993” off the top shelf. White, the elected circuit clerk for Iron County in southeast Missouri, was searching for an old marijuana case. The small storage room near her office is packed with faded ledgers indexing criminal cases by […]
Money isn’t enough to speed up Missouri’s marijuana expungements
Out of the $7 million Missouri lawmakers approved last year to help courts expunge decades of marijuana cases, state records show less than 10% of it was spent as of mid-May. Across the state, nearly 123,000 marijuana cases have been expunged, according to numbers compiled by the Missouri Supreme Court. But court officials have said […]
Kratom workers across eastern Missouri vote to unionize
CBD Kratom employees have become the first Missouri workers in the industry to unionize, following a Friday election. The election spanned across 17 stores in eastern Missouri and Illinois operated by the St. Louis-based CBD Kratom, which sells largely kratom and hemp-derived THC products. Employees voted 23 to 6 to unionize, with 75% of the […]