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Missouri Marijuana Businesses Fined For Bringing Clones Across State Lines In Violation Of Rules

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5 months ago

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“Some licensees believed they were allowed to bring in clones or tissue cultures and seeds on an ongoing basis.”

By Rebecca Rivas, Missouri Independent

At least seven Missouri marijuana growers have been fined in the past year for violating what’s known in the industry as the “immaculate origination rule.”

Marijuana cannot cross state lines because it is still illegal, and state law dictates that all marijuana must be grown within the state.

However, a year passes when a licensee passes an initial inspection when the state essentially turns a blind eye and puts its hands over its ears to how a cultivation facility begins its inventory.

It’s called the clean conception rule, and last year six facilities were fined $500,000 for breaking it.

A spokeswoman for Missouri’s Division of Cannabis Regulation said regulators “found that some licensees believed they were permitted to bring in clones or tissue cultures as well as seeds on an ongoing basis. However, this practice violates the seed sales tracking regulations.”

To keep up with customer preferences and demand, these companies brought in clones or starter plants and tissue cultures, a form of in vitro propagation, of popular plant varieties from other states.

“In lieu of penalties or other enforcement actions, these violations were settled for amounts ranging from $50,000 to $500,000, depending on the situation,” said Lisa Cox, a spokeswoman for the Missouri Department of Health and Aging Services, which oversees the cannabis regulatory division.

Licensees who have seen the largest fines are major players in other states, including the companies behind Good Day Farm and High Profile.

The combined fee for the four cultivation licenses representing Good Day Farm and Codes, shared management, was $347,495. Facilities are located in Columbia, Carrollton and Chaffee.

For High Profile, it was $500,000 at its O’Fallon cultivation facility.

Two smaller growers also saw fines of $20,000 and $50,000.

None of the licensees fined by the state returned The Independent’s request for comment.

‘mother plant’

Missouri cultivation facilities are approved to grow marijuana plants, and the harvest is sent to a manufacturing facility, which is then made into pre-rolls, edibles and other products.

Often, growers will develop a “mother plant” to collect clones or cuttings from the plant and put them in their pots. These are genetically identical to the plant from which they are cut.

But where does the mother plant come from?

In the first year of a facility, “the rules and the law are silent on how that happens,” Cox said.

After that, facilities can apply to the state for permission to bring in seeds for “continuing inventory needs,” or they can obtain clones from other licensed growers located in Missouri.

But the state fined several licensees last year for not following those rules, sending a clear message to all Missouri businesses that they must grow plants from seed or get starter plants from competitors.

Ryan Schepers, St. Louis Community College’s cannabis program professor, said that as a “plant nerd,” he doesn’t think starting from seed is necessarily difficult or a bad thing for industry innovation.

“I think a lot of cultivation centers are set up to take care of plants that are already established, and that would be a bit of a challenge,” he said.

But there’s nothing that “well-versed” plant growers working at the cultivation centers can’t handle, he said. He said the main challenge is the delay in production. It will take about a month to six weeks for a cannabis plant to start getting well established, he said, but they will be “pretty hardy plants.”

“Clones are obviously much easier to deal with,” he said.

But tissue cultures involve a small number of cells to begin with, he said, and that process can take as long as seeds to germinate.

He understands that it is difficult for companies to align the growing season of plants with the need to keep up with trends in other states. If a product sells very well in California, he said, “of course we’ll try to get the same thing in Missouri.”

However, he said the cultivation center can discourage him from trying new things. For the sake of his students, he hopes the emphasis will shift to growth and innovation.

“We at St Louis Community College really emphasize that our students are plant scientists who focus on cannabis,” he said.

Innovation can be difficult when federal and state laws are changing rapidly, he added.

The Independent asked if the state would consider allowing licensees to obtain clones in the future to continue popular varieties.

“The department was looking at the DEA’s guidelines that state that clones are not considered marijuana under federal law because of the low concentrations of Delta 9 (THC),” Cox said.

However, recent changes in federal law “may change the status of seeds and clones,” he said. He was referring to the hemp restrictions that were passed as part of the federal spending package last year and will go into effect in November.

“So the department will have to follow federal guidance,” Cox said, “and interpret how it develops over the next year before making any changes to rules or processes.”

This story was first published by the Missouri Independent.

Photo by Chris Wallis // Side Pocket Images.

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We don’t really deal with a lot of mites because of our IPM program

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24 hours ago

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June 9, 2026

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Flora Farms Pest Management Program it is built to reduce to nothing depending on the harvestso the plant ends up clean. Luke Allenbrand, Flora Farms’ crop leader, leads an integrated pest management program that focuses on prevention. “We don’t honestly deal with a lot of mites because of the IPM program, because of the predatory mites that we’ve put down as a precaution,” says Luke. “It allows us to have a much cleaner garden in the back half.” Preventative work keeps spray volumes relatively low because the curative side of the program rarely needs to be heavy.

“Actually, we are at the lowest number of these sprays that we have. The milliliters that we are using are numbers that do not exist to be a prevention,” says Luke. “But as soon as you see an uptick of those mites or anything, we bring it up to a therapeutic amount, which is still a small milliliter. And as long as you’re on a fast track with it, you see them disappear within 10 days.” The targets are spider mites, which feed on the plant’s THC and terpene production and degrade the flower.

© Flora Farms

Tested solutions
The three products used by the company are derived from agricultural and food use. “We actually apply about three insecticides that are very common around the agricultural and food grade of these products, using a suite of IPM, Venerate and Grandevo, insecticides that will deal with these mites,” says Luke. The application is intermittent rather than constant. “We usually use a 5-day spray cycle so we can have rest periods in between, so it’s not just a consistent density of that spray,” says Luke. He sees progress against mites in the gaps between the successions.

However, at some point, the spraying stops. “We finish the spray cycle by day 40. We usually don’t want to spray anywhere after day 40. At that point, you’re going to damage the product,” says Luke. “And at that point, we’ll put predatory mites in. It really helps us get to that final push point by day 59, 60 of that harvest. So we actually have a lot less of our spray in that late period. So it’s a much better tasting product.” Predatory mites take over the job of spraying, leaving nothing on the flower.

Biological control
Biological control has two forms. “We usually use them, they’re called crazy mites, and honestly, it’s crazy to see,” says Luke. “Actually, I’ve seen some of the ones in a close-up photo kill a bug, some of the cocoons actually drive away, and even attack the spider mites themselves. Very beneficial. Callias are also slow. They’re little bags that we hang on plants and they’re very beneficial to us.” Different predators work at different speeds, which is why the program runs more than one.

Missouri’s testing regime is the context in which growers operate. Each plant is tested for pest control chemicals and must pass before the product goes ahead. “Other crops and other black market shops or smoke shops in Missouri don’t have to worry about the testing we have to do,” Luke says. “Everything we use here is natural. Each of our pest management is a lot of essential oils that fight these mites. Everything we would put on a plant is food grade.” The test covers foreign chemicals, heavy metals, and anything else that an unregulated supply should never consider.

The whole arc is from biology to chemistry and back to biology. “We go from predatory mites to a food-grade spray regimen, and then back to predatory mites at the end. That way, these plants will have time to finish with no chemicals, nothing,” says Luke. “The rest of that life cycle, about 15 to 20 days, is the most natural it will have. No spraying at all during that, just to push predatory mites off that end, so there’s no residual mite damage on those plants.”

For more information:
Flower Farms
florafarmsmo.com

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California Bill To Legalize Marijuana Dispensary Drive-Thru Windows Advances In Senate After Clearing Full Assembly

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24 hours ago

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June 9, 2026

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It has been passed by a California Senate committee and passed by the Assembly bill that would allow marijuana dealers to offer car windows to serve customers.

The measure, which cleared the Senate Business, Careers and Economic Development Committee on a 7-3 vote Monday, says licensed cannabis retailers and micro-businesses with storefronts can sell marijuana products “in a motor vehicle to a customer in a drive-through located on the premises.”

Under Assemblywoman Gail Peller’s (D) AB 2697, cannabis businesses would need permission from the local jurisdictions in which they operate to add a drive-thru.

The sponsor told committee members before the final vote that the bill will “expand access to legal cannabis products while strengthening our ability to compete with the illegal market.”

Annie Aubrey of Chuck’s Wellness Center, a retailer in Placerville, testified that the legislation is “about improving access.”

“A large portion of our customers use cannabis as medicine, including seniors, veterans and people living with chronic conditions that affect mobility, the population that this regulated system seeks to serve,” he said. “For many, even simple tasks like getting out of a vehicle or navigating a retail space can be physically difficult or prohibitive…A drive-thru option removes that barrier, giving patients and consumers access to what they need in a way that’s dignified and consistent with their healthcare needs.”

Amy O’Gorman Jenkins of the California Cannabis Operators Association said the legislation will provide “operational flexibility” in a highly regulated system.

“It doesn’t expand who can access cannabis,” he said. “It allows retailers, with local approval, to serve existing patients and customers more efficiently.”

Jenkins also argued that this measure could improve security.

“Currently, road traction transactions are already allowed. This means that workers regularly have to leave a safe premises while transporting the product, and sometimes they have to deposit cash in parking lots,” he said. “AB 2697 provides an additional mechanism for obtaining product, but requires a fixed and secure transaction point, keeping employees inside and reducing exposure to theft.”

Pellerin, the bill’s sponsor, previously said that “California cannabis retailers lack a common and accessible transaction channel for consumers that so many other retailers in California offer, including fast food, pharmacies, banks and even liquor stores.”

“Cannabis consumers with mobility issues or other disabilities have limited options for obtaining cannabis without having to get out of their vehicles. And while home delivery is legal, there are restrictions on service areas,” he said. “Allowing cannabis sellers to add a secure ride option, if allowed by their local jurisdiction, will improve the consumer experience, increase the security of cannabis sellers and help expand California’s legal cannabis market.”

The California Association of Narcotics Officers opposes the proposal, however, as a representative, Ryan Sherman, testified that it would make it more difficult for dispensary workers to check the IDs of customers who are of legal age or to spot signs of current intoxication at drive-thru windows.

“This bill prioritizes speed of sale over public safety while undermining existing protections designed to prevent illegal sales and protect public safety,” he argued.

Under current policy during the COVID pandemic, dispensaries can already offer street pickup.

The invoice that moving forward in the legislature would mandate that auto sales “be made through a fixed panel security window with a security drawer or similar secure transfer mechanism that is part of a building located within the premises.”

—
It’s Marijuana Time tracking hundreds of cannabis, psychedelic and drug policy bills in state legislatures and Congress this year. Patreon supporters by pledging at least $25/month, you’ll get access to our interactive maps, charts, and audio calendars so you never miss a development.

Learn more about our marijuana bill tracking and become a Patreon supporter to gain access
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California regulators recently approved emergency rule changes to the state’s marijuana licensing process. to make it easier for companies to receive benefits In line with the Trump administration’s latest move to federally regulate medical cannabis.

While Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) recently He took credit for helping lead the state’s push to legalize marijuana and discussed his limited experience with cannabis use.

In October, however, Newsom vetoed a bill that would have It allowed micro-marijuana companies to ship medicinal cannabis directly to patients Through common carriers like FedEx and UPS, he said the proposal would be “too burdensome and complex to manage.”

Newsom signed a bill earlier this month streamlining research into marijuana and psychedelics.

In September, the governor also signed a measure pause on the recent tax increase on marijuana products.

Separately, the state attorney general says Indian tribes cannot independently participate in the marijuana trade with licensed cannabis businesses without obtaining their own commercial license from state officials.

California officials have recently been rewarded nearly $30 million in grants for marijuana-focused academic research projects.

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Concert Series Specials launched for state medical cannabis patients

Published

2 days ago

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June 8, 2026

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Post Dispensary, Kentucky’s first medical cannabis dispensary, is connecting with patients in Owensboro, Henderson, Bowling Green, Elizabethtown, Madisonville, Hopkinsville and surrounding areas by aligning unique specials with the region’s summer concert calendar. Located at 300 N Main St. in Beaver Dam, minutes from major highways connecting these vibrant cities.

This summer, The Post Dispensary is offering special pricing and incentives for Concert Series Events at the Beaver Dam Amphitheater, SPARKS in the Park 4th of July celebration and surrounding events, such as Owensboro’s ROMP Festival (June 24-27, 2026). Patients can stop by before or after shows for big savings.

“We’re more than just a booty,” said a dispensary representative. “From Owensboro’s world-class ROMP Festival to Beaver Dam’s Amphitheater events, we’re making it convenient and budget-friendly for patients in Owensboro, Henderson, Bowling Green, Elizabethtown, Hartford and beyond to combine our love of music with compassionate care and an affordable product.”

The Post Dispensary hosts regular Patient Guidance events on the second Saturday of every month. These units have professionals on hand to assess patients and issue written certificates at low cost, application support and expert consultations in a welcoming environment. The next Patient Drive aligns perfectly with summer travel patterns, making it easy for patients from Owensboro, Bowling Green, Elizabethtown, Madisonville, Henderson, Madisonville and surrounding towns to plan a trip to Beaver Dam that combines care with community and entertainment.

For more information:
Post-Dispensary
thepostdispensary.com/










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