Is CBD Legal in Missouri?

by Kat Austin December 09, 2020 6 min read

Is CBD Legal in Missouri? - VO Inc

A map with a pin marking Missouri

Missouri has notoriously been progressive about CBD access and cannabidiol laws, but confusion sets in with reports about police seizing CBD products in the state.

Is CBD legal in Missouri? Or is CBD possession considered risky business?

Luckily, CBD is both legal and accessible, and there are very few restrictions set forth by the state of Missouri.

This lack of regulation can be risky, though, so it’s important to understand Missouri CBD laws and how to access safe CBD products in the state.

Here are the details you need to know:

Table of Contents
Legal Concerns About CBD
What are the CBD laws in Missouri?
Is full spectrum CBD legal in Missouri?
Does Missouri have a CBD possession limit?
Can doctors prescribe CBD in Missouri?
Where to buy CBD in Missouri?
Can you buy CBD at 18 in Missouri?
Is CBD legal in all 50 states?
Resources

Disclaimer: We’re always working to stay informed on the latest CBD laws and research. However, state laws are subject to change and we advise that you do your own research to verify the information you find in this article. This is not intended as legal advice.

Key Takeaways

  • Missouri has lenient CBD laws, and even allows the use of CBD in foods, drinks, and alcoholic beverages.
  • The state has no minimum age for CBD, but vendors may restrict access to consumers under 21.
  • Doctors may recommend CBD in Missouri, but you do not need a prescription to access it. The exception lies in the state’s medical hemp program, which may allow access to other forms of CBD with a doctor’s recommendation.
  • CBD may be accessible at a variety of locations in Missouri, but the quality is in question. Certain practices, like buying CBD online and properly vetting your CBD brand, may reduce the risks of buying low-quality formulas.

Legal Concerns About CBD

It’s true that CBD gained its federal legal status in 2018. The Hemp Farming Act effectively removed industrial hemp and its natural derivatives (like cannabinoids) from the Controlled Substances Act.

But there’s a catch, and it complicates things:

Legal CBD products must come from industrial hemp.

This classification is designated to hemp material that meets a strict set of standards. The most significant is that it contains less than 0.3% THC on a dry weight basis. If CBD products are made from any cannabis strain that contains more than 0.3% THC, it is not a federally legal product.

That’s not all—

The final product must contain less than 0.3% THC, too.

That means that even if a brand starts with legal hemp material, they need to carry out careful manufacturing procedures to produce a legal end product. It’s possible for certain cannabinoids to be “concentrated” during the extraction process, leading to higher THC concentrations than in the original material. Proper manufacturing and careful testing need to be employed to avoid this issue.

Because there is very little regulation in the CBD industry, it’s important to evaluate a brand carefully before you buy. It can be hard to tell if a CBD product is made from a legal hemp source and meets the federal guidelines for legal hemp products. The best way to ensure that your CBD products are legal is by checking the third-party lab tests for cannabinoid potency.

Of course, these regulations only apply on a federal scale. You must also ensure that your products meet the standards laid out by federal guidelines and those set by your state.

Two CBD tinctures, a popular form of CBD that is legal in Missouri.

What are the CBD laws in Missouri?

Missouri historically has imposed lenient CBD laws, with public legalization coming before the 2018 Farm Bill even passed into law. In 2014, the state passed HB 2238, which made CBD accessible to those with epilepsy under restricted circumstances. The bill required that patients get a recommendation from a neurologist and obtain a registration card to access state-approved CBD products.
The state signed HB 2034 in June 2018, a bill that officially removed hemp from the state’s list of controlled substances. Although it does not mention CBD directly, it describes “hemp” as the plant and its derivatives, including extracts and cannabinoids. Therefore, CBD derived from a legal source with less than 0.3% THC is deemed legal in the state.

The state imposes very few regulations or restrictions on CBD products, and has no restrictions on CBD in foods and drinks, unlike the more restricted states of California, Georgia, and Michigan. In fact, the Missouri Division of Alcohol and Tobacco Control issued a statement declaring that the division has no authority to restrict the use of CBD (so long as it contains no THC) in alcoholic beverages.

Ultimately, CBD is legal and accessible throughout the state, with very few regulations in place to protect consumers.

Is full spectrum CBD legal in Missouri?

It’s easy to assume that CBD isolate is legal in many places since it contains no THC, but many consumers are worried that the trace amounts of THC found in full-spectrum CBD products may cause trouble in states where cannabis is illegal.

Luckily, Missouri has no laws restricting full spectrum CBD products that contain 0.3% THC or less.

Does Missouri have a CBD possession limit?

Missouri does not define any possession limits for CBD products derived from industrial hemp that meet state requirements. Other CBD products, like those derived from cannabis, may only be accessible through the state’s medical program, which imposes different restrictions.

Can doctors prescribe CBD in Missouri?

In Missouri, you do not need a prescription to access CBD products. In fact, doctors typically cannot “prescribe” CBD products that are sold over the counter, rather they may “recommend” them. Even in states where medical marijuana is legal, access usually requires a doctor’s recommendation, not a prescription.

In Missouri, you may also be able to access various CBD products through the state’s medical hemp program, which requires a neurologist’s recommendation.

CBD is still new, and only one CBD product has been approved by the FDA to date. This product, GW Pharmaceuticals’ Epidiolex, is designed to treat rare forms of childhood epilepsy. Aside from this product (which comes with stringent usage guidelines), many doctors are still learning about CBD. If you’re interested in the benefits of CBD, you may need to spark a conversation with your doctor.

Where to buy CBD in Missouri?

A handful of CBD capsules, one of many types of legal CBD products that can be found in Missouri.

In Missouri, there are virtually no regulations on CBD products besides restrictions regarding hemp source and THC content. That means that CBD may be accessible in many places, including grocery markets and convenience stores.

Still, the state imposes no regulations to ensure consumer safety, and this lack of regulation can be risky.

Buying CBD online is a suitable option for most consumers. When you buy CBD online directly from the brand, you get better oversight of the brand’s manufacturing practices. Looking at the brand’s hemp source and lab testing procedures can help ensure that the CBD products you choose are clean, potent, and meet legal guidelines.

Buying CBD directly from a brand instead of from a third-party market may also be less costly since you won’t have to pay the extra fees that are often tacked on by the middle man. Of course, premium CBD can be expensive to manufacture, so you should also be wary of products that offer low-ball prices.

Finally, buying CBD online may be the best way to access many different types of CBD. The most common type of CBD product is an oil tincture, but you can find a variety of CBD edibles, topicals, and other specialty products when you shop online.

For more information on how to find high-quality CBD products, check out our CBD Buyer’s Guide.

Can you buy CBD at 18 in Missouri?

The legal age to buy CBD is fuzzy, even when looking at federal regulations. In theory, CBD should be accessible to people of all ages, especially since it gained its popularity as a treatment for various childhood illnesses. Of course, some products may not be suitable for people of all ages, like smokable hemp flower or CBD vaporizers.

In Missouri, there are no statewide regulations regarding the legal age to buy CBD. Instead, these laws may vary by jurisdiction and are more heavily impacted by the seller. Since the legal age for tobacco products has been raised to 21, many smoke shops may require users to be 21.

Many CBD brands allow customers who are 18 or older to order online and will ship legal CBD products to Missouri.

Is CBD legal in all 50 states?

Thanks to federal updates, CBD has the potential to be legal in every U.S. state. CBD is legal in Missouri, but every state has different regulations regarding the manufacture and sale of CBD. Click here to find out where CBD is legal.

Resources

  1. “H.R.5485 - Hemp Farming Act of 2018” https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-bill/5485
  2. “HOUSE BILL NO. 2238” https://house.mo.gov/billtracking/bills141/hlrbillspdf/6436S.07T.pdf
  3. “HB 2034” https://house.mo.gov/Bill.aspx?bill=HB2034&year=2018&code=R
  4. “DIVISION OF ALCOHOL AND TOBACCO CONTROL, INDUSTRY CIRCULAR CBD OIL” https://atc.dps.mo.gov/IndustryCircular/cbd-oil-1-24-19.pdf

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