Missouri’s Cannabis Market Cracks Down on Hemp

A new report has sparked concern across Missouri's Cannabis Market, revealing that most products sold as hemp in Missouri are actually marijuana. This revelation has raised alarms among legitimate hemp producers who are working hard to maintain trust and transparency within the industry.

At a hemp farm in Maries County, Missouri, growers Kevin Holderman and Rich Tempe are focused on cultivating industrial hemp, a plant whose close cousin, marijuana, has become increasingly controversial. "It's kind of a Wild West right now with all the cannabinoids available in both hemp and marijuana," Holderman said. The two plants, while nearly identical, are treated very differently under law—something that deeply impacts Missouri's Cannabis Market.

In 2018, the U.S. government removed hemp from the list of federally controlled substances, opening the door for the booming hemp industry. But that same flexibility also created new challenges for Missouri's Cannabis Market, as many unregulated products hit the shelves with little oversight. "Someone's supposed to be testing and regulating these," said Jet Card, who represents the legal marijuana industry in Missouri. "Nothing could be further from the truth."

Card and his team tested dozens of hemp-labeled products sold at gas stations and smoke shops across the state. Out of 55 samples sent to a third-party lab, a shocking 96% turned out to be marijuana. This finding underscores the urgent need for stricter regulation within Missouri's Cannabis Market, where consumers may unknowingly buy intoxicating products mislabeled as hemp.

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