Missouri State Lawmakers Push for Stricter Rules on Hemp Products

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Earlier this month, bills were passed in Missouri that would affect how hemp-derived products are sold in the state. On February 5, a House committee bill passed with a vote of 12 to 5, while a bill passed in a Senate committee with a vote of 5 to 1 on February 6 (1). Both bills would allow products with hemp-derived THC to continue to be sold in stores, while intoxicating edibles and vapes would not be able to be sold outside of dispensaries. Both would also implement a three-tier distribution system.

“This is a tough bill to vote on,” stated Representative Mark Sharp, in the Missouri Independent (1). “On the one hand, you’re regulating to the point where you want to keep children safe, especially in our urban areas. But on the other hand, you’re maybe over regulating.”

Both bills require a retailer to acquire a license before selling the beverages. The Senate bill puts the license enforcement under the authority of the Division of Alcohol and Tobacco Control, while the House Bill places it under the Department of Health and Senior Services.

Because hemp is federally legal, products containing Delta-8 THC derived from hemp can be sold in retail locations in Missouri. Laws regarding age restrictions on purchasing the products are not yet in place.

“This isn’t a final product,” stated Senator Nick Schroer, referring to the Senate bill (1). “If we’re going to have a regulated industry, implement consumer protections to make sure that the potency that’s on the packaging is exactly what it is. The main point is making sure that our kids don’t have access to this stuff.”

Also proposed is House Bill 463, sponsored by Representative Barry Hovis, which states: “A hemp beverage retailer may only sell hemp beverages to individuals who are at least twenty-one years of age. No person under twenty-one years of age shall sell or assist in the sale or dispensing of the hemp beverages.”

It also sets a limit on the amount of cannabinoids in the products sold, stating: “A hemp beverage retailer shall ensure that all hemp beverages offered for sale comply with the limits on the amount and types of cannabinoids that a hemp beverage product can contain, including but not limited to the requirement that hemp beverages: (1) Consist of servings that contain no more than 10 milligrams of delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol, no more than 25 milligrams of cannabidiol, no more than 25 milligrams of cannabigerol, or any combination of those cannabinoids that does not exceed the identified amounts; (2) Do not contain more than a combined total of 0.5 milligrams of all other cannabinoids per serving; and (3) Do not contain an artificially derived cannabinoid other than delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol.”

Currently, cannabis is legal in Missouri for both medical and recreational uses for adults ages 18 and older (3).

References

1. Rivas, R. Bills adding regulations to hemp-derived THC beverages advance in Missouri legislaturehttps://missouriindependent.com/2025/02/06/bills-adding-regulations-to-hemp-derived-thc-beverages-advance-in-missouri-legislature/#:~:text=A%20House%20committee%20advanced%20a,sold%20outside%20of%20marijuana%20dispensaries (accessed February 17, 2025).
2. Missouri House Bill No. 463 https://documents.house.mo.gov/billtracking/bills251/hlrbillspdf/0718H.01I.pdf (accessed February 17, 2025).
3. Missouri Cannabis Information. Missouri Cannabis Laws. https://missouristatecannabis.org/laws (accessed February 17, 2025).