Marijuana

Missourians legalized medical marijuana use in 2018. Now, recreational use will be up to voters in the upcoming general election.

Ward 3 Alderman Kent Randle has proposed an amendment that would wipe out those requirements and reduce the distance from 1,500 to 100 feet.

Another initiative petition that would have established ranked-choice voting has already fallen short of signatures needed to appear on the ballot.

The caps have become a point of controversy, with critics saying they’ve encouraged a monopoly in the medical marijuana program and create the appearance of corruption.

Black entrepreneurs — many of whom struggled to get awarded medical marijuana dispensary licenses in Missouri — want to see more entrepreneurs of marginalized backgrounds break into the cannabis industry.

More than 2,000 applications were submitted for medical marijuana licenses in 2019, but fewer than 400 were ultimately awarded. And while the state doesn’t track the race of those who got a license, people in the burgeoning industry say few went to Black-owned businesses.

St. Louis Alderman Bret Narayan sponsored the bill that successfully legalized possession of up to 2 ounces of marijuana in the city.

A multistate company is preparing to open a marijuana processing facility in St. Louis.

Sophisticated Living publisher Craig Kaminer ran an ad from a medical marijuana business — and got hit with a $500 monthly fee from his bank.

The license lottery comes more than a year after the state was supposed to award new licenses.