recreational marijuana

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 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.

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.

Amendment 3 legalized recreational marijuana in Missouri. It also required all nonviolent marijuana-related misdemeanors and felonies to be expunged by June 8 and December 8, respectively. But the state doesn’t know how many cases are left, and experts say the courts aren't equipped to handle those that remain before June or December.

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.

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.

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.

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.