Missouri hemp stakeholders are gearing up for a push to put an initiative on the state's 2026 ballot that's meant to consolidate regulations with the goal of creating parity between the hemp and marijuana sectors.
But a major marijuana trade association is pushing back on the plan, describing the yet-to-be-filed measure as a "repeal" of the voter-approved law that would largely benefit the state's loosely regulated hemp market.
The marijuana legalization law that voters passed in 2022 enshrined regulations in the state Constitution, removing lawmakers' ability to make certain adjustments. The hemp industry coalition behind the forthcoming initiative is aiming to strike much of that language and instead give a constitutional mandate for the legislature to develop statutory rules themselves.
"In our American tradition, the purpose of a constitution is to define and restrain the power of governments—not the private sector or the individual," Eapen Thampy, a lobbyist for American Shaman, told Marijuana Moment on Monday. "It's the job of statutory law to handle regulation of the private sector."
Read more at Marijuana Moment