Marijuana possession is now legal in Missouri

As of today, marijuana possession for adults over age 21 is now legal in Missouri.

No legal state in the country has unrestricted access to marijuana, and while Missouri does have some restrictions, most fall in line with current alcohol and tobacco laws.

Possession

Missourians over age 21 can now possess up to 3 ounces of dried marijuana or its equivalent. While the calculation of how much flower one can have is easy enough, things are a bit less clear for those who haven’t followed Missouri’s medical marijuana laws. In Missouri, 24 grams of concentrate, 2400mg of THC-infused product, and 3 ounces of weed are equivalent for possession purposes.

Consumption

Currently, Missouri doesn’t allow for public consumption. While you can’t be arrested for smoking weed on the sidewalk, you may still be ticketed. You also can’t consume cannabis while operating a vehicle, this includes boats on public waterways. State parks have held since the inception of medical marijuana that a public space is defined as a shared area, which means you’re safe in your tent, camper, RV, etc., so long as it’s not operational. However, it’s important to note that National Parks do not fall under the regulatory authority of Missouri and possession of any amount of marijuana on Federal property is still illegal. Schools and correction facilities are also off limits, including colleges. And you can’t smoke marijuana anywhere where smoking tobacco is prohibited.

Missouri’s new marijuana laws do allow for local governments to create ordinances and regulations governing “the time and place where marijuana may be smoked in public areas within the locality,” and “the consumption of marijuana-infused products within designated areas, including the preparation of culinary dishes or beverages by local restaurants for on-site consumption on the same day it is prepared.”

Dispensaries

While dispensaries will be allowed to sell marijuana to any adult over the age of 21, that won’t happen today. Adult use sales at dispensaries will not begin until early 2023.

Gifting

Effective immediately, gifting marijuana between adults over the age of 21 is legal. The law says,”Purchasing, possessing, consuming, using, ingesting, inhaling, processing, transporting, delivering without consideration, or distributing without consideration three ounces or less of dried, unprocessed marijuana, or its equivalent.” Legally, Without Consideration means, with respect to a transfer, that the transfer is being made purely as a gift or donation, with no promise or receipt of payment, goods, services. While sales of marijuana outside of a dispensary environment are still illegal, gifting is not.

Homegrow

While cultivation for adults over age 21 (without a medical card) is allowable under Missouri’s new marijuana laws is allowable, it requires a license. The Division of Cannabis Regulation will begin accepting applications for consumer personal cultivation as soon as February 6, 2023.

So while you may not be able to walk into a local dispensary without a medical marijuana card today to make a purchase, in just a few months you may be able to walk into local restaurants to have an infused meal, hit up your local cannabis lounge, or even enjoy a stroll through a designated part of town on a Saturday night to celebrate legal weed with a joint in hand.