cannabis

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 industry has sold more than $715 million of marijuana in the nearly 7 months since recreational sales began in February. There are now some 200 weed dispensaries spread across the state.

The state's microbusiness license program is supposed to give Missourians from disadvantaged communities a chance to enter the recreational marijuana industry.

Unable to afford a state license, Melissa Lewis accepts donations for her whimsical creations, often adorned with fondant marijuana leaves or Tootsie Roll blunts. She says there's demand for THC-infused edibles beyond gummies or drinks.

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.

In just three months of recreational marijuana, Missouri’s emerging industry surpassed $1 billion in sales. Trade experts says the state has managed to avoid the problems that plagued others like Illinois, such as long lines, limited access and high taxes.

It’s been just over two months since dispensaries started selling recreational marijuana in Missouri and despite shortages, business is booming. Now the industry must grapple with perhaps its biggest hurdle since legalization: banks.

Missouri began approving licenses for dispensaries to sell recreational marijuana a few days earlier than expected. But despite the late notice, customers were lining up first thing Friday morning.

Marijuana dispensaries across Missouri are expected to begin selling to recreational users by next month. Education experts say young people are capable of having serious conversations about cannabis and other substances — it's the adults who usually make it awkward.

Kansas Citians can expect to begin purchasing recreational marijuana in early February. Now the city is working to pass an additional sales tax on cannabis products and prevent any “red light district” for weed from cropping up.

Missouri's Amendment 3 passed Tuesday, legalizing recreational marijuana. Legal weed is expected to bring jobs in the marijuana industry as well as new business to companies that will supply vendors.

Recreational marijuana legalization is a popular policy among Democrats, but the Missouri Democratic Party has declined to endorse the Legal Missouri 2022 ballot initiative.