JEFFERSON CITY — Attorney General Andrew Bailey announced the creation of a new unit in his office Tuesday aimed at cracking down on the sale of intoxicating hemp candy to children.
The unit will work with Gov. Mike Parson’s administration, which has put the sale of unregulated psychoactive cannabis products under a microscope in recent weeks.
The plan calls for the Department of Health and Senior Services and the Department of Public Safety’s Alcohol and Tobacco Control Division to forward cases to the attorney general’s office for possible prosecution.
“Under state law, Missourians have a right to know what is in the products they or their children consume. That is why we are building on our existing investigation into these harmful, illicit products,†Bailey said during a news conference in Parson’s office Tuesday.
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The latest move against deceptively packaged gummies comes after Parson used his powers to ban all intoxicating hemp food and drinks via an emergency rule issued on Aug. 1.
His office said the action was in response to rising availability of the products and emerging health concerns, especially with regard to youths.
Bailey’s entrance into the fight comes after Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft twice rejected the emergency rule proposed by Parson to immediately begin the crackdown, forcing the change to go through a slower adoption process that could take up to six months.
The rule also is the subject of a lawsuit filed late last month by the Missouri Hemp Trade Association.
On Tuesday, Parson again railed on the similarities of the intoxicating gummies to existing, legal candy products.
“They are simply targeting children,†Parson told reporters. “This is pretty basic stuff. We need to put an end to it.â€
Parson, who leaves office in January, called on lawmakers to approve new laws addressing the products when they return to action next year.
House Majority Leader Jon Patterson, R-Lee’s Summit, who is expected to be elected the next House speaker, said he was committed to passing legislation containing rules against marketing cannabis or hemp products to children.
National poison control centers have said roughly 2 in 5 exposures to delta-8 THC products are occurring in children, according to state health officials.
Amid the shaky rollout, Parson directed state regulators to inspect businesses for compliance.
Currently, if the Department of Health and Senior Services finds unregulated psychoactive cannabis products during an investigation, the department will “request voluntary compliance, including destruction of the products.â€
“If voluntary compliance is not achieved, products will be embargoed and held on the premises until a court order for destruction is obtained,†a DHSS memo notes.
Since Sept. 1, DHSS has visited 64 facilities, finding 39 with unregulated psychoactive cannabis products present on shelves. Thus far, 8,929 products have been embargoed through these enforcement efforts.
Julie Weber, director of the Missouri Poison Center, said the total number of poisoning cases link to the products involving young children has doubled each year since 2018.
“At the Missouri Poison Center, we have seen a steady increase in exposures related to accessibility and misidentification by children 5 years or younger consuming cannabis,†Weber said.