“We’re not pioneering anything new here. What Missouri is doing … is simply aligning our state statutes with federal action.”

By Rebecca Rivas, Missouri Independent

The Missouri House passed a bill Thursday that would ban all intoxicating hemp products — like THC seltzer or hemp-derived THC edibles currently sold at gas stations and smoke shops — beginning in November.

The bill, sponsored by Republican state Rep. Dave Hinman of O’Fallon, would ban hemp products from containing more than 0.4 milligrams of THC per container, among the limits included in a provision of a federal spending bill passed by Congress last year.

Even if Congress were to reverse course and decide to allow the sale of these products, Hinman’s bill would allow them to be sold only at licensed marijuana dispensaries in Missouri. And if Congress chooses to delay the ban for a couple of years, Missouri would ban all products except alcoholic beverages.

With a vote of 109-34, the bill now goes to the Senate for consideration.

“We’re not pioneering anything new here,” Hinman said during Thursday’s debate on his bill. “What Missouri is doing … is simply aligning our state statutes with federal action so that our law enforcement, highway patrol, local prosecutors and the attorney general’s office can work together with our federal partners. No loopholes, no loopholes.”

Republican state representative Matthew Overcast of Ava spoke out against the bill, particularly a provision that says intoxicating hemp products “shall be considered marijuana” and regulated equally.

This would essentially ban all intoxicating hemp sold in the state because marijuana must be grown in Missouri and most hemp is grown elsewhere. It would also require that hemp products be sold in licensed cannabis dispensaries, which can only sell products grown in Missouri licensed cultivation facilities.

Overcast argued that the Missouri constitution already defines what constitutes marijuana, and that only voters, not lawmakers, can change that definition. And while proponents say the changes are necessary to protect children from getting these products, Overcast said, the reality is the bill will only protect the marijuana industry from competition.

“We cannot rewrite voter-approved language by statute because some market participants prefer less competition,” Overcast said. “If protecting children was really the goal, we know what works: age restrictions, standards, clear labelling, packaging protections, responsible retail rules.”

Hinman said he believes Missouri lawmakers have the power to make that change.

“The (Missouri) Constitution defines marijuana as anything from the hemp plant except industrial hemp,” Hinman said. “Cannabinoid products derived from hemp are not industrial hemp. They are intoxicating.”

The cloud also argued invoice does not allow Missouri to continue to comply with federal guidelines. If Congress were to pass legislation allowing states to sell intoxicating hemp products outside of marijuana dispensaries, Overcast said Missouri businesses would not be able to do so because Hinman’s bill allows them to sell only within what he called a “marijuana monopoly.”

“That’s not public safety, that’s not security policy,” he said. “This is about picking winners and losers.”

State officials estimated in 2024 that 40,000 food establishments and smoke shops and 1,800 food manufacturers were selling products that would be banned under the proposed federal regulations. This includes low-THC seltzers such as Mighty Kind and Triple, which have grown in popularity in liquor stores and bars.

Hinman’s legislation is one of the first bills to pass the House this year. He previously told The Independent that the legislation was a priority for state leadership, including the governor, attorney general and House speaker.

It will be the fourth year Missouri lawmakers have tried to regulate intoxicating hemp productsending the previous discussions in deadlocks.

Hinman told The Independent Thursday evening that he is “pro-small business” and that this was not a bill he wanted to pass this year, but the state is in line with the coming federal cuts.

“All of last year and right up until this federal decision, I was pushing to make the drinks and low-dose gummies available for those small businesses to sell,” he said.

For 10 months last year, he said, he tried to bring together hemp business owners to propose a regulatory framework outside of marijuana rules.

“And they couldn’t come to a conclusion about what would be acceptable,” Hinman said.

Limiting the products to being sold only at cannabis dispensaries also wasn’t his priority, he said, but it’s a regulatory framework the state already has in place.

His original language stated that Missouri would delay its ban if the federal government did, but he said that would inadvertently leave the products unregulated in the state indefinitely.

“And then we’re back to trying to create a regulatory framework for hemp products,” he said. “The attorney general was not happy because he wants to get something done. And of course, the police do … their hands are tied with continuing an unregulated market.”

If Congress decides to allow low-dose THC hemp products to be sold outside of dispensaries, Missouri would have to go back and pass legislation allowing that, he said.

Republican state representative Jeff Myers of Warrenton advocated closing the loopholes that opened up when Congress legalized hemp in the 2018 Farm Bill.

“All we’re saying is the federal government stepped back and dealt with a loophole that was exploited,” he said. “We’re closing that gap.”

This story was first published by the Missouri Independent.

Organigram Global has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the German operator Sanity Group GmbH. “Organigram’s proven track record of executing highly strategic and complementary M&As is exemplified by the proposed acquisition of Sanity Group, a strategically significant and financially rewarding transaction. By combining our strengths as a cannabis-focused company, we will be well-positioned to deliver significant value to our shareholders and accelerate growth in key European markets. Together, we will set a new standard in the global cannabis sector,” said Paolo De Luca, Organigram’s Chief Strategy Officer.

“The proposed acquisition of Sanity Group is a key step in Organigram’s global expansion strategy as a leader in the rapidly expanding cannabis industry,” said Organigram CEO James Yamanaka. “This transformational acquisition will bring together two market leaders, expand our commercial footprint into Europe and strengthen our competitiveness in the world’s largest federal cannabis markets.”

Based in Berlin and founded in 2018, Sanity Group’s main operations are centered in Germany. The German cannabis market is expected to be worth more than 2 billion euros in 2025, serving around 800,000 patients. The market is expected to exceed 4.5 billion euros by 2028, with an expected 50% year-on-year growth rate, with the patient population reaching around 1.8 million (2.0% of the population), putting it on par with other major global medical markets such as Israel (1.9%) and Australia (2.3%).

“Based on the cooperation to date, I have great confidence in the vision of both companies to scale internationally,” said Finn Hänsel, CEO of Sanity Group. “Together we will unlock multiple opportunities for growth, especially through entering new European markets. Organigram has already proven to be an exceptional partner with extensive experience in cultivation, manufacturing, patient-focused research and innovation. These strengths will be key to actively shaping the global cannabis market. Our strategic goal is to build a global market leader in the coming years.”

As part of the proposed transaction, Sanity Group is valued at up to 250 million euros, 130 million euros upfront and up to 120 million euros tied to defined performance measures for the twelve months ending March 31, 2027. Decisions about the future government structure have not yet been made. “Today, our main focus is integration and long-term value creation, rather than rapid structural change,” explained Seyit Kaya, CEO of Sanity Group.

For more information:
Organigram Global Inc.
(email protected)
organigram.ca/

The Sanity Team
(email protected)
sanitygroup.com

Hawaii lawmakers have passed a bill that would allow patients to access medical cannabis immediately after filing their registrations, rather than waiting for their cards to be delivered, as required by current law.

In a joint hearing of the Senate Health and Human Services Committee and Trade and Consumer Protection Commission on Wednesday, members approved legislation from Sen. Angus McKelvey (D), with an amendment that would reduce the one-time purchase limit for cannabis to one ounce instead of the two ounces the measure would have covered as introduced.

Sen. Joy San Buenaventura (D), chairwoman of the Health and Human Services Committee, said at the hearing that regulators are equipped to track such one-time sales “using administrative rules as appropriate,” and she said she supports this in part from personal experience.

The President said SB 3315 He could help his family because they were helping a terminally ill relative, “where we tried all the prescription capabilities” and “what we really needed was the one-time use.”

“So for those reasons, I will support (the bill) with amendments” to reduce the purchase limit from two ounces to one ounce.

The approval of the measure also comes as a member of parliament Weigh in on proposals to legalize marijuana in the stateimmediate action is expected.

Historically, the Hawaii Senate has been legislatively more accommodating to cannabis reform, and the 2026 session has been no different so far.

That was proven, in part, after senior House lawmakers announced it earlier this month A couple of legislative bills created in the chamber were dead during the year.

Despite renewed proposals — including one from House Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs Committee Chairman David Tarnas (D) that would put legalization before voters on the ballot — to move forward this year, sponsor and House Speaker Nadine Nakamura (D) said there was not enough support in the legislature to pass this round.

State officials released a report last month the potential economic impact of recreational marijuana legalization on the stateincluding the revenue effects associated with domestic and international tourism.

All told, the researchers said survey data and comparative analysis indicate Hawaii could see $46-90 million in monthly marijuana sales in the fifth year of implementation, after taking into account the maximum tax rate of 15 percent on cannabis products.

The Hawaii Senate narrowly defeated a proposal last year that would have increased the amount of cannabis a person could possess without risk of criminal charges by five times.

If the measure had become law, the amount of decriminalized cannabis in Hawaii would have increased from the current 3 grams to 15 grams. Possession of any marijuana up to that 15-gram limit would have been classified as a civil infraction, punishable by a $130 fine.

The Senate bill that would legalize marijuana for adults, on the other hand, has finally stalled. That measure, SB 1613, did not make it out of committee during one term of the legislature.

While advocates believed there was sufficient support for the legalization proposal in the Senate, it is widely believed that House lawmakers would ultimately defeat the measure, as they did last February with a companion legislative bill, HB 1246.

In 2024, a The legislation passed by the Senate also failed in the House.

It came just days after last year’s House vote to stop the bill approval of a pair of committees at a joint hearing. Prior to that hearing, jurors received nearly 300 pages of testimony, including from state agencies, advocacy organizations and members of the public.

Gov. Josh Green (D) signed separate legislation last year allow medical marijuana caregivers to grow marijuana on behalf of five patients than the current one.

And in July, the governor signed another bill Establishes new rules for Hawaiian hemp productsincluding the requirement for distributors and retailers to obtain registration from the Department of Health.

Legislators also sent a bill to the governor help speed up the expungement process for people who want to clear their past marijuana-related criminal records– a proposal Green signed the law last April.

This measure, HB 132, of Tarnas, aims to speed up the abolition Green’s pilot program signed into law in 2024. Specifically, it will remove a distinction between marijuana and other Schedule V drugs for the purposes of the decriminalization program.

The bill’s sponsors said the law’s current wording forces state officials to manually comb through thousands of criminal records to identify those eligible for expungement in the pilot program.

Meanwhile, in November, Hawaii officials detailed the rules allow medical marijuana dispensaries to sell a wide range of products for patients— including dry herb vaporizers, rolling papers and grinders — while revising state code to clarify that cannabis oils and concentrates can be marketed for inhalation.

The department as well He confirmed that he is in favor of federal marijuana reorganization– The policy change that President Donald Trump ordered to be carried out quickly, but which has not yet been implemented.

Hawaii lawmakers recently advanced a bill allow eligible patients to access medical marijuana in healthcare facilities.

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Regulators are also launching a series of courses designed for this purpose educate doctors and other healthcare professionals about medical marijuana as the state’s cannabis program expands.

The under the medical marijuana expansion bill signed by the governor In late June, it not only makes it easier for more patients to access cannabis, but also contains a provision that advocates find problematic.

Before lawmakers sent the legislation to Green, a conference committee revised the plan, including a provision allowing the DOH to access medical marijuana patient records held by doctors for any reason.