Cannabis
Legal marijuana puts drug-sniffing police dogs out of work in Missouri
Now that cannabis is legal in Missouri, drug-sniffing police dogs face early retirement if they are attracted to the smell of marijuana. Because some police dogs are sensitive to the odor of pot, they can compromise an investigation and prevent a successful drug prosecution. If a dog is trained to detect marijuana as well as […]
Where does the revenue from Missouri marijuana sales and license fees go?
Since Missouri’s marijuana sales began in 2019, the state has collected nearly $100 million in revenue from taxes and program fees, according to state authorities. Etched in the state’s constitution is a road map for where the revenue can go. The first stop is operational costs. By law, any expense it takes to run both […]
New rules stir fear Black Missourians will once again lose out in marijuana licensing
When a marijuana legalization amendment was being criticized last year over concerns it would calcify the lack of Black participation in the burgeoning industry, Adolphus Pruitt was one of its most vociferous defenders. Pruitt, the president of the St. Louis City NAACP, and other local NAACP leaders insisted the constitutional amendment establish a “microbusiness license” […]
Appeals court says government-funded nonprofit not subject to Missouri Sunshine Law
At a 2014 gathering of licensed drug counselors at the Tan-Tar-A resort in Osage Beach, Chuck Daugherty delivered a warning. Marijuana legalization activists in Missouri, he said, were using tactics akin to 1960s radicals to advance their cause. Daugherty is executive director of ACT Missouri, a nonprofit established in 1991 to promote drug and alcohol awareness. […]
Workers picket Columbia dispensary in push to unionize Missouri marijuana workers
A few days before the unofficial marijuana holiday of April 20, as retailers prepared for the biggest sales day since legalization, Austin Monroe says he was fired by Shangri La South dispensary in Columbia. Monroe is one of 16 employees of the cannabis dispensary who signed an organizing petition seeking union representation by Local 655 […]
Missouri marijuana businesses improve access to banks under bill heading to governor
Missouri’s marijuana businesses would have fewer obstacles when it comes to accessing banking, under legislation approved Thursday. Few banks nationwide serve cannabis businesses and their owners — or even their auxiliary partners — because most want nothing to do with a business that sells a product the federal government still considers illegal. That’s true even […]
Missouri legislators vote to require fingerprint background checks for cannabis employees
Everyone working in Missouri’s cannabis industry would be required to submit to a fingerprint background check under legislation approved Thursday. Under the constitutional amendment that voters passed in November to legalize recreational marijuana, only the owners of cannabis companies are required to submit their fingerprints to the Missouri Highway Patrol for a criminal background check. […]
Marijuana industry, state regulators at odds over rules targeting packaging aimed at kids
The labels and packaging for marijuana-related products, “shall not be made to be attractive to children,” the Missouri constitution states. That’s why state regulators are proposing requiring “plain or uniform labeling,” similar to those of cigarettes or medicines, said Amy Moore, director of Missouri’s cannabis regulation under the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. […]
Missouri marijuana sales top $350 million during first three months of legalization
Hippos Cannabis has a 40,000-square-foot production facility in Vienna, Mo., a town of 600 people that’s just 30 minutes north of Rolla. Since Missouri’s recreational marijuana sales began in February, they’ve added 25 workers, bringing the total employees to 70 — who come from Vienna or the surrounding communities. “A lot of the employees were […]
Why some people believe ‘marijuana’ is a racist word, and why it doesn’t offend me
I was talking to a cannabis business owner I’ve known for a while and respect. The man, who is white, told me he refused to use the term “marijuana” because it’s racist. It was one of my first conversations on the cannabis beat, which I’ve been on for a month now. And my mind was […]
With recreational marijuana now legal, 4/20 looked much different in Missouri
Lisa Thomas wandered into an outdoor market celebrating 4/20 on Cherokee Street in St. Louis — and ended up with her very first marijuana plant. Actually two of them. “I’m so excited,” she said. “I’ve never had a plant.” She and her husband Jerry had been passing by a tent showcasing trimming equipment for marijuana […]
Missouri lawmakers take aim at unregulated ‘delta-8 THC’ hemp products
As he was checking out at a convenience store one day, state Rep. Kurtis Gregory said he looked down and saw “delta-8 THC” products being sold. He had no idea THC, the intoxicating component mostly associated with marijuana, could be sold openly outside of dispensaries. “I messaged a few folks and to my surprise, yep, […]