The Missouri Division of Cannabis Regulation is asking for expanded authority to prevent cannabis business owners who have had their license revoked due to rule violations from getting another license, the Missouri Independent reports.
The division’s proposed rules were announced last week, and the agency’s director, Amy Moore, noted in the report that they would be the first major rules update to the state’s adult-use cannabis program since voters approved the constitutional amendment in 2022.
Moore said the rules — which would also help regulators address issues relating to the state’s social equity cannabis license program and product recalls for THC derived from hemp plants rather than state-licensed cannabis plants — were designed to address issues “learned over time” that either “needed improvement or needed to be fixed.” The new rules would also require businesses to establish mechanisms that would remove owners who are found to have violated the state’s cannabis laws.
“We have found over the years that there’s really not a lot of structure or authority in rule… for us to address individuals in ownership or potential ownership who have been found to be either violating regulations themselves or responsible for those who are violating rules.” — Moore, via the Independent
The proposed rules would also establish an unlimited number of cannabis research licenses in the state.
Meanwhile, Missouri cannabis retailers last year sold $1.26 billion worth of adult-use products and $182 million worth of medical cannabis products.
