Council debates intoxicating cannabinoid control code; substitute bill with beverage carve-out fails, main bill held

Council members on Aug. 26 engaged in extended debate over proposed local regulation of intoxicating cannabinoid products. Substitute Bill 1 for Bill 15 would have added a Chapter 631 to county code creating an Intoxicating Cannabinoid Control Code and included a carve-out to allow certain hemp beverages to remain on the market.

Councilwoman Clancy moved adoption of the substitute, saying an adopted substitute would give the public and stakeholders a tangible draft to review before the scheduled Committee of the Whole. She described the substitute as a compromise intended to bring transparency to ongoing negotiations.

Several council members said they were not comfortable adopting a substitute before a full Committee of the Whole discussion. Councilman Archer and another councilmember argued the substitute could limit future options, particularly on packaging and child-safety details, and preferred to address the matter at the committee meeting. Councilman Harder and Councilman Hancock said having a substitute draft on the table could help shape a more informed discussion and would not foreclose future changes.

A roll-call vote on adoption of Substitute Bill 1 for Bill 15 resulted in the council chair announcing the substitute bill has failed (no final roll call tally recorded as full names in the transcript). The clerk instructed that the original Bill 15 be held for the Committee of the Whole. No final ordinance adopting local regulatory controls was passed at this meeting.

During the public-comment period earlier in the meeting, two industry speakers addressed Bill 15. Tony Billmeier, chief marketing officer of Show Me Organics, urged caution about unregulated intoxicating cannabinoid products, warning they mimic packaging of regulated cannabis products and may be accessible to children. Gabe Jerkberg, Missouri regional director of compliance for Good Day Farm, urged the council to adopt the control code, arguing that hemp-derived intoxicating cannabinoids lack the seed-to-sale traceability and mandated contaminant testing that state-legal marijuana products have, creating a "public health blind spot." Both speakers urged local regulation to protect public health and safety.

The council directed the item to remain on the agenda for further review; staff and members indicated more substitutes and a Committee of the Whole meeting were expected to refine regulatory language, fiscal impacts and departmental responsibilities before any final vote.