Lawsuit filed in federal court over new Missouri hemp law

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A lawsuit was filed on Thursday in federal court that challenges Missouri’s recently passed hemp restrictions.

Gov. Mike Kehoe on April 23 signed House Bill 2641 into law, which effectively banned the sale of THC seltzers and other intoxicating hemp products at convenience stores, bars and restaurants. It would require those products to be sold at licensed dispensaries.

It also reclassified certain products, including some sold as CBD, as marijuana if they meet specific criteria, subjecting them to stricter oversight.

The law was met with pushback from the Missouri Hemp Trade Association, who filed the lawsuit against the state in the Western District Court of Missouri, along with Lifted Liquids LLC and MNG 2005 Inc.

The petition accuses the law of violating the due process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, violating the dormant commerce clause and claims it is preempted by the Farm Bill.

The plaintiffs are seeking for a judgement that declares the law unconstitutional.