The Truth About Hemp & Marijuana Dispensaries and the Fight for Missouri

I woke up to a message this morning that basically said, “You can’t have it both ways, you can’t say it’s different than marijuana and then market it and sell it like it is. You can’t say it’s not the same as dispensaries and then trick people by calling your store a dispensary”. So let me answer that directly, as someone who has done everything by the book from day one.

For years, nobody had a problem when hemp shops like mine were selling just CBD, a product most dispensaries couldn’t care less about. Nobody cared when we were the ones educating communities about cannabinoids, breaking the stigma and giving people safer, affordable options. We were invisible to them. But the moment hemp flower and other cannabinoids gave us a real seat on their Monopoly board, suddenly we became the villain. Suddenly it was “illegal marijuana,” “dangerous products,” and “marketing to kids.” No. That’s not the truth and they know it! That is propaganda driven by fear of competition.

We call ourselves a “legal dispensary” because we dispense federally compliant hemp products. Period. Marijuana dispensaries sell a product that is still federally illegal. That’s not an insult…it’s a simple fact. Hemp, on the other hand, was given federal protections under the 2018 Farm Bill, and my shop operated 100 percent within that law. We bought compliant hemp flower backed by ISO and DEA accredited labs and have stayed inside those lines every step of the way. Most marijuana dispensaries don’t even test with DEA accredited labs, but somehow we’re the ones being framed as the problem?

Now we sit on a 362 day federal clock where those protections are being actively threatened. Instead of standing shoulder to shoulder and demanding fair, sensible regulation that protects everyone, the marijuana MSOs and their trade groups are suing Missouri hemp stores and crying “unfair.” In their own lawsuit, they lay out all the hoops they have to jump through: expensive licensing, high security costs, suffocating regulations, seed to sale, banking issues, no federal protection. I do understand that frustration. But here is the part they don’t like to hear: They wrote those rules! They helped design that system. And they set the buy in price so high that regular Missourians never had a real shot at it. Instead of lobbying for fair regulations, they built their own walls, tightened a noose around their own necks and shut the door on the rest of us. Now they’re crying “wolf”!

There was never any social equity for the rest of us. The people who built these local markets, educated their customers, and took the early risks, were not the ones invited to the table when it was time to carve up the pie. They wanted it all to themselves and to hell with the rest of us. When the hemp market exploded and small businesses finally had a way to participate, the big players got mad. Instead of admitting that we found a lawful, innovative way to play ball, they chose to label us as criminals, liars and child marketers. That’s not who we are and they know it.

My store has never once misled a customer about what they are buying. We don’t pretend we are MSO dispensaries. We never lied and said we held a marijuana license. In fact, we proudly say we’re locally owned and operated. We don’t hide behind confusing language. We sell hemp and we’ve been clear about that since day 1. We follow federal law. We test our products. We age gate. We use child resistant packaging. We educate our customers and invite hard conversations. We’re not the bad actors. We’re the ones trying to build something honest and sustainable in our own communities.

So when someone tells me, “You can’t call yourself a dispensary,” my answer is simple. Yes, I can. Yes, I do. And yes, I will. No one can “own” a word. I built my business model on dispensing federally compliant hemp products with transparency, integrity and compliance. I’m not backing down from that now that we finally have a place at the table.

They did not care when it was “just CBD.” They care now because we finally share space on the board. Now they want to flip the table instead of learning how to play fair.

Now, I’m standing up for what I’ve built; what we’ve all built. We built this industry together and we are going to fight for it together. I can’t promise the outcome, but I can promise this: I am going to give everything I have to protect this industry, my customers, my community and every small business that refuses to be bullied off the map. WE ARE MISSOURI HEMP.