Rep. Ben Baker, a Neosho Republican, sponsored a bill to put regulations on intoxicating hemp products (Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri Independent).
A bill backed by the hemp industry that would impose age restrictions on their products was resoundingly rejected Tuesday evening by a Missouri House committee after product safety requirements were removed.
The bill, sponsored by Republican state Rep. Ben Baker of Neosho, would place an age restriction on the purchase of intoxicating hemp products, such as THC seltzers and edibles.
Baker amended the bill Tuesday after state agencies estimated it would cost $95 million a year to implement the legislation’s testing guidelines and after negotiations between hemp industry leaders stalled out.
Despite the effort to lower the estimated cost, the committee voted down the amended legislation 1-13, arguing the removal of the safety requirements was a fatal flaw.
“I understand the impetus to protect children by putting an age gate up,” said Republican state Rep. Jeff Myers of Warrenton. “My issue is, though, we’re still not doing anything to verify that these products are safe.”
Baker said the problem is getting all the stakeholders to agree to a compromise on product guidelines.
“But the one thing that everybody seems to agree on with these bills is protecting kids,” he said.
The bill, backed by the Missouri Hemp Trade Association, is one of several that lawmakers are debating this year to regulate intoxicating hemp products — which currently have no government-imposed requirements on product testing, labeling or who can sell and buy them.
Baker’s bill allows a higher THC content than the other proposals to address needs of people who use the products to alleviate pain, supporters say.
Lawmakers have been trying to enact age restrictions and other regulations on these products for the last few years. Conversations have devolved when hemp industry leaders argue the past proposals, backed by the Missouri Cannabis Trade Association, would put thousands of hemp companies out of business.
This year, those MoCann-backed bills won the approval of committees in both the Missouri House and Senate last month – but both included a compromise to allow low-dose intoxicating hemp drinks to continue to be sold in grocery and liquor stores.
This is the first year leaders of the hemp industry have proposed bills of their own, but they can’t agree on what guidelines will serve the needs of everyone from beverage companies to those developing high-dose products for patients.
Republican state Rep. Ben Keathley of Chesterfield spoke in support of the bill, raising the concern that the disagreements could end up stalling legislation once again.
“It’s important that we move forward on the parts that we all agree on, which is the protecting kids,” Keathley said. “If we do nothing on this, because stakeholders, legislators, and people in this building cannot come together to figure out what the perfect solution is, then we will continue to have the same problems like we’ve had — with children being able to obtain these products.”
Craig Katz, spokesman for the hemp association, said he was surprised the age-gating proposal failed. The group is talking with the Republican sponsor of another hemp regulations bill, Republican state Rep. Dave Hinman of O’Fallon, to see whether or not a compromise can be reached “that will serve everybody in the industry.”
Hinman’s bill is backed by liquor distributor Steven Busch. Katz said the primary “hangup” for the association with Hinman’s legislation is it would enact a three-tiered distribution system that is used in the liquor industry.
“That is a stickler for much of the industry other than the beverage section,” he said. “In my view, the possible way to approach a compromise here would be to allow the three-tier system to exist, but not in a mandatory state.”
Katz also said the cost estimate on Baker’s bill was a misunderstanding and will be addressed in a future amendment.
Hinman was not available for comment, but has previously said he realized this was going to be a long process to reach an agreement on a regulatory framework.
“The governor is looking for a compromise and a set of rules and regulations,” Hinman said in a hearing last month, “that will keep businesses open, employees working and most of all protect Missouri residents and keep the consumer safe.”