Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services

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.

The state will repay educational costs for health care workers who are willing to work in underserved areas. Another program will increase the number of medical residencies in Missouri.

The Missouri Supreme Court ruled unanimously Tuesday that Jackson County and St. Louis County should have been allowed to intervene in a lawsuit that struck down local health orders aimed at mitigating the spread of COVID-19.

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.

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.

Rep. Doug Richey, a Republican from Excelsior Springs, is proposing a narrowed version of his amendment banning diversity, equity and inclusion programming as the Missouri budget debate moves to the Senate.

The federal government requires banks to inspect every marijuana facility and licensee. Since Missouri's DHSS already does that, banks want them to share that information so they don't have to duplicate effort.

The position will oversee the equity measure that legalization campaign supporters boast to be the first of its kind in the nation — a microlicense program designed to boost opportunities in the marijuana industry for businesses in disadvantaged communities.

Adults in Missouri can now legally use marijuana. Dispensary operators say that some residents with medical marijuana cards may choose to keep them to take advantage of lower taxes and other benefits that customers who use marijuana recreationally don't get.

Missouri has the 8th highest maternal deaths in the country. A bill filed in the upcoming legislative session would extend postpartum care for low-income women.