JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Missouri Governor Mike Parson signed an executive order Thursday banning the sale of unregulated foods that contain psychoactive cannabis compounds.
In a press release, Parson's office said the state's health department will work to "embargo and condemn" the products, which would include Delta-8, an unregulated intoxicating hemp product. The order also prohibits psychoactive cannabis products from being sold at retail establishments holding a liquor license, the press release said.
Editor's note: The above video was published on July 31, before the executive order was signed.
The press release said the products are outlawed unless they come from an approved source, but there are currently no sources approved by the FDA or the state, "effectively prohibiting these products from being sold in Missouri" for now. Sources for the products could be approved by the FDA or the state in the future, which would allow them to be sold in the state.
If an establishment is caught selling the outlawed products, the Missouri Division of Alcohol and Tobacco Control could bring disciplinary action against the business.
The executive order does not apply to products regulated by the Division of Cannabis Regulation under the Missouri Constitution.
5 On Your Side has reported on the dangers of Delta-8.
In April, group of Missouri police chiefs are calling for the ban of Delta 8 products. The psychoactive hemp product was legal and unregulated at the time, and confusing packaging was contributing to hospitalizations in children.
"It's packaged to look like candy and snacks, so it seems to be targeting our younger people, marketing to them, and since it looks like candy and looks like snacks, it doesn't look like it's that harmful," Lake Saint Louis Police Chief Chris DiGiuseppi said in April.
5 On Your Side Reporter Mercedes Mackay stopped at a gas station to see it for herself how easy it was to obtain. She walked into the store, bought Delta-8, and never had to show identification.