Rebecca Rivas

Marijuana manufacturer Delta Extraction has denied accusations that it illegally imported cannabis into Missouri, arguing it actually imported a non-psychoactive hemp product that was converted into THC once in the state. But dispensaries said they had no idea Delta's product was made from hemp.

Missouri dispensary owners say they had no idea they were paying marijuana prices for a "synthetic" THC that had been converted from hemp. State regulators last month issued a product recall that pulled more than 60,000 items off the shelves.

The constitutional amendment that legalized recreational marijuana in Missouri included a provision that labels and packaging for marijuana-related products “shall not be made to be attractive to children.” When the rules go into effect July 30, cannabis packages sold in the state must have limited colors and can't resemble commercially-sold candy.

Mayors in Kansas City and St. Louis have ordered studies into the impact of slavery and segregation on present-day inequities. Missouri had 114,931 enslaved people on the eve of the Civil War.

Missouri regulators listed ZIP codes that qualify as having historic incarceration rates for marijuana offenses in the new cannabis rules. None are in north St. Louis, where about half of the state’s Black population resides.

The laws require profits from the sale of marijuana first go to pay for operational costs — salaries and professional attorney services. After that, revenues will go to veterans, public defenders and drug treatment.

Between recreational and medical marijuana, Missouri hit $350 million in sales in the first three months since the state began allowing dispensaries to sale legal weed. Yet cannabis business owners say those numbers could be even higher since cultivators and manufacturers aren’t working at max capacity.

Donte Westmoreland was exonerated in 2021 after serving five years in a Kansas prison for a marijuana offense. On Thursday, the Kansas City mayor and city council are recognizing April 20 as 4/20 Donte West Cannabis Justice Day.

Missouri is seen as the “darling” of the cannabis industry after a hot start to its recreational marijuana program. And the number of licenses the state approves for new employees each month has quadrupled since November.

Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft tweeted that a job posting for a “diversity, inclusion and belonging leader” was an example of “left-wing indoctrination in the workplace” and the wrong use of taxpayer dollars. State agency leaders say inclusion and belonging programs help retain employees during a severe staffing shortage.