More shops selling CBD oil in Missouri
Marijuana is illegal in Missouri.
However, CBD is sold all over the state.
Shops are selling products containing cannabidiol, a substance found in cannabis that doesn’t deliver the high commonly associated with marijuana. Advocates say it helps people with a range of conditions, from extreme epilepsy to chronic pain.
“The legality of CBD oil is currently under review,” the Missouri Department of Agriculture said in a statement sent to ABC 17 News. “We don’t want to make any premature legal interpretations because of the impacts the federal Farm Bill may have.”
The general manager of a CBD shop in Columbia, Savannah Foos, said she sells topical applications, oils, items for pets, gummies and creams.
Foos said the shop operates legally under a provision in the federal farm bill, which in June took CBD derived from hemp off the controlled substance list.
Foos said any products at her shop contain less than 0.3 percent THC, which is the substance in marijuana that gives users a high.
Increasing CBD sales are happening as Missouri voters are getting ready to decide whether to legalize medicinal pot. Multiple medical marijuana initiatives will appear on the November ballot.
New Approach Missouri, Amendment 2, would allow doctors to recommend medicinal marijuana to their patients. Patients must suffer from specific conditions such as cancer, epilepsy or PTSD to get a prescription.
New Approach Missouri spokesman Jack Cardetti said the amendment would give people the option to discuss medical marijuana with their physician. It would impose a 4 percent tax on sales.
“In 30 other states patients can already work with their doctors to do this,” Cardetti said.
He said the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services would regulate the initiative.
Find the Cures, Amendment 3, would allow marijuana for medical purposes and impose a 15 percent tax on its sale.
Funds from the Find the Cures taxes would go towards state research to develop cures. The proposal is estimated to generate $66 million in annual taxes and fees.
Missouri Patient Care Act, Proposition C, would also legalize medical marijuana to treat certain qualifying conditions such as multiple sclerosis, PTSD and seizures.
Under the Missouri Patient Care Act, medical marijuana would be taxed at 2 percent, the lowest of the proposals.
