Missouri authorities are cracking down on the state’s estimated $1 billion unregulated hemp THC market.
State Attorney General Catherine Hanaway on Monday sent cease-and-desist letters to dozens of retailers across the state that she accused of “illegal hemp sales.”
The letters instruct recipients to immediately halt sales of intoxicating hemp products, citing concerns over mislabeled and potentially unsafe merchandise.
“Your sale of marijuana without a license constitutes a violation of Missouri law and public policy and presents a risk of substantial injury to Missouri consumers,” the letters read in part.
At least 33 sellers of hemp-derived THC products in the St. Louis, Kansas City and Springfield areas received letters from Hanaway, according to KTTN News.
Missouri hemp THC crackdown is what the regulated cannabis industry wanted
The enforcement is exactly what the state’s $1.5 billion regulated cannabis industry has been demanding.
Last fall, licensed marijuana operators claimed an unchecked proliferation of unregulated storefronts selling synthetic hemp products, including some imported from China.
State officials said many of the products use deceptive marketing and packaging that appeals to minors.
Missouri lawmakers taking action to mirror federal hemp THC ban
The Missouri House of Representatives in February passed a bill that would ban hemp-derived THC products, which are sold at more than 40,000 retailers in the state and other outlets like bars and restaurants.
If passed, the bill would outlaw hemp products with more than 0.4 milligrams of THC per container.
That’s consistent with the redefinition of hemp under federal law that President Donald Trump signed into law in November.
Prior efforts to regulate or restrict hemp products in Missouri, such as a short-lived executive order in 2024, have failed.
The proposal to ban hemp THC in Missouri is currently pending in the state Senate.
States take action on hemp-derived THC ahead of the federal ban
Missouri’s crackdown is an example of a broader national trend affecting the $28 billion hemp industry ahead of the looming federal ban.
As a November deadline for when most hemp-derived cannabinoid products become illegal under federal law approaches, some states are pushing their own enforcement.
Last week, nearly all intoxicating hemp THC products in Ohio became illegal.
In Texas, smokeable hemp THC flower is set to become illegal March 31 under new state rules.
That’s after Gov. Greg Abbott vetoed a bill that would have outlawed hemp THC products outright last summer. A followup ban failed in the state legislature in September
