Missouri

Missouri’s intoxicating hemp landscape has been shaped by aggressive executive and enforcement action rather than statute. Following the 2022 voter initiative that legalized adult-use cannabis (Article XIV of the Missouri Constitution), an unregulated hemp market rapidly grew alongside the licensed cannabis system — with products testing at up to 1,000mg THC per unit reportedly sold in gas stations and smoke shops. Governor Mike Parson issued Executive Order 24-10 in August 2024, directing DHSS and other agencies to use existing food and drug authorities to ban intoxicating hemp outside licensed marijuana dispensaries. AG Andrew Bailey (2024-2025) launched an investigation and cease-and-desist campaign. His successor, AG Catherine Hanaway, expanded the enforcement effort. On March 31, 2026, Hanaway sued American Shaman; through April 2026, she issued cease-and-desist letters to 33 hemp retailers using consumer-protection statutes. The legal theory relies on DEA interpretation letters from 2023-2024 treating THCA as counting toward total THC — a theory disputed by hemp retailers who argue the 2018 Farm Bill uses only delta-9. On the legislative side, HB 2641 (originally passing the House 109-34 on February 19, 2026) was signed by Governor Mike Kehoe on April 23, 2026 as the Intoxicating Cannabinoid Control Act. Effective November 12, 2026 (concurrent with federal Section 781), it aligns state hemp definitions with federal law and restricts intoxicating hemp sales to state-licensed marijuana dispensaries. A contested provision provides a beverage carve-out — but only as a contingency if Congress delays the federal ban. Missouri is one of the states most exposed to a state-federal double-cliff on November 12, 2026.