Missouri Hemp Trade Association Suing State Over Governor’s Intoxicating Product Ban
“This memo really crystallizes the issue”
The Missouri Hemp Trade Association filed a lawsuit on Aug. 30 to stop the state’s Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) from carrying out an executive order to ban intoxicating products containing hemp-derived cannabinoids.
The lawsuit, filed in the Cole County Circuit Court, seeks an injunction to prevent the DHSS from moving forward on designating foods and beverages “adulterated” because they contain hemp derivatives and from embargoing such products.
The lawsuit stems from Gov. Mike Parson’s Aug. 1 executive order to prohibit the sale of edible products containing intoxicating hemp derivatives—such as delta-8 THC—unless they originate from an “approved source.” The order directs the DHSS to implement steps to embargo and condemn these products, which DHSS officials announced Aug. 29 they plan to carry out.
The Missouri Hemp Trade Association (MO Hemp Trade) filed its lawsuit the day after the DHSS press release, claiming Missouri law prohibits the intended actions announced by the DHSS.
“This memo really crystallizes the issue and really makes clear what they’re intending to do,” MO Hemp Trade attorney Chuck Hatfield told the Missouri Independent. “And I think what they’re intending to do is illegal.”
The governor’s order does not impact products sold within Missouri’s licensed and regulated cannabis market.
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