JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Missouri Gov. Mike Parson signed an executive order in August to ban intoxicating cannabis products, scheduled to be in effect next month. Now, that date has been pushed back after Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft denied it.
Parson introduced the order Aug. 1, aiming to allow the state to crack down on businesses that are selling unregulated cannabis products. The governor, along with officials from the Missouri Division of Alcohol and Tobacco Control, emphasizes the danger the cannabis products can pose to children, as the packaging can look like normal candy bags.
“This Executive Order effectively bans the sale of these potentially harmful products in Missouri until such time approved sources can be regulated by the FDA or State of Missouri through legislative action,” Parson said in an article earlier this month. “Protecting Missourians, especially the most vulnerable, our children, has been our guiding principle since the very beginning and remains so today.”
The executive order was expected to take effect starting Sept. 1. However, Ashcroft rejected the ATC’s emergency rulemaking Thursday, leading to the process extending it’s timeline by at least half a year.
“As best as I can tell, you denied this emergency rulemaking because you believe hurt feelings are more important than protecting children. This is a personal matter for thousands of parents and grandparents across the state, and denying the rulemaking is your attempt at retribution for my endorsement of another candidate,” Parson said in a letter to Ashcroft Thursday. “Safety of kids is not a political issue. I am disgusted that you are making it one.”
The order specifically prohibited psychoactive cannabis products from being sold at retail establishments that hold a liquor license. It also enables the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services to take steps to embargo and condemn such products.
Parson was joined by the Department of Public Safety, the Department of Health and Senior Services, Attorney General Andrew Bailey and ATC Supervisor Michael Leara during the press conference introducing the order. Parson said that until the unregulated products can be approved by the FDA or the state, they will no longer be allowed on shelves.
The letter to Ashcroft continued, “You have not provided any other reason why you do not believe this rule follows the statutory requirements for publication beyond simply stating it does not…if you truly believe the statutory requirements for an emergency rulemaking are not met, I fear how many children must consume these harmful products before you think an emergency exists.”
As for the next steps, the ATC will resubmit the emergency rules for consideration in accordance with Parson’s instructions and go through the routine procedure once more. This effort is anticipated to be pushed back another six to eight months.
