JEFFERSON CITY – Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft’s office said Friday that the election commissioner is reviewing a new rule proposed by Gov. Mike Parson’s office to crack down on the sale of hemp-derived THC.
The announcement came a day after Parson asked Ashcroft to reconsider his decision this week to reject emergency orders restricting the sale of intoxicating cannabis products.
Parson directed his Department of Alcohol and Tobacco Control to resubmit the emergency rules after Ashcroft rejected them on Wednesday, according to the governor.
“Secretary Ashcroft has not yet made a decision whether to accept or reject the offer,” said JoDonn Chaney, Ashcroft’s spokeswoman, late Friday morning.
An emergency order filed Friday would take effect Monday, Sept. 9, according to an online rulemaking timeline calculator.
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Parson said in a letter to Ashcroft on Thursday that the secretary of state was seeking “retaliation” for the governor’s support of “another candidate.”
Ashcroft lost the Republican gubernatorial primary on August 6 to Parsons’ preferred candidate, Lieutenant Governor Mike Kehoe.
“Secretary Ashcroft was concerned that the rule did not meet the statutory requirements as defined in the law,” Chaney said in a statement Friday. “He reached out to the executive branch to give them an opportunity to explain how it met the requirements, but they did not respond.”
The battle to sell hemp-based THC products in stores across the state pits hemp producers against small shops that are also members of the state’s legal marijuana industry.
Parson issued an executive order on August 1 aimed at restricting the sale of hemp-derived products starting September 1.
Since then, the hemp industry has vocally opposed the new regulations, calling them a move to strengthen the regulated cannabis industry’s control over the market in a state where the state strictly limits licensed operations.
The Missouri Cannabis Trade Association, which represents members of the legal industry, has expressed support for Parsons’ efforts.
Unlike the state-regulated cannabis industry, where sales are limited to a network of state-licensed dispensaries, the Department of Health and Senior Citizens has not regulated hemp-derived products.
In addition, there are no special taxes on sales and there are no legal age restrictions.