Missouri

Few Kansas residents are getting arrested for buying legal weed in Missouri and bringing it home

Published

2 years ago

February 28, 2024

Few Kansas residents are getting arrested for buying legal weed in Missouri and bringing it home

More than 1 million Kansans live within an hour’s drive of Missouri and its dispensaries selling legal cannabis at seemingly every strip mall.

Yet even with that new, easy access to legal weed, fewer people face arrest in Kansas on marijuana charges. Prosecutors and police remain obliged to enforce the state’s prohibition on cannabis — Kansas is one of only 11 states that outlaw marijuana even for medical purposes — but generally make it less of a priority.

So, while statistics are still taking shape in a state bordered by three states where medical and recreational sales are legal, arrests on cannabis charges and seizures of illegal weed appear on the decline or at least flattening out.

Missouri’s first legal sale of cannabis came in early February 2023. Kansas residents could immediately drive over and buy it legally, but risked arrest and prosecution if they brought their joints or gummies across the state line.

The Beacon asked law enforcement agencies in eastern Kansas for arrest data from 2022 and 2023. Statewide data on arrests isn’t complete.

Kansas Bureau of Investigation arrest records don’t track arrests by type of drug, and the agency doesn’t have complete numbers yet for 2023. The Kansas Highway Patrol also said getting statistics on every drug arrest would take time, but data on major seizures of weed showed a slight drop in 2023.

Here’s how some departments compare.

The Kansas City, Kansas, Police Department arrested 186 people for weed in 2022. That number jumped to 241 in 2023. That spike is mostly due to an uptick in July arrests. The amount of weed seized dropped from 108 pounds to 22 pounds.
Overland Park police went from 189 arrests for selling and using in 2022 down to 166 arrests in 2023.
The Pittsburg Police Department had 35 arrests for 2022 but only 18 in 2023. Seizures jumped from 2,541 grams to 6,686 grams — again due to one month of large seizures.
Leavenworth police cited 23 people for weed in 2022 and 28 people in 2023.
The Kansas Highway Patrol said it has 76 significant marijuana seizures in 2022 and 68 significant seizures in 2023. That would mean a seizure with more than one pound of weed and likely doesn’t include arrests for simple possession, but getting data on every arrest is hard, the agency said.

The plateau in arrests signals a welcome shift to advocates who say over-policing cannabis only causes problems and is especially problematic for minority communities. The highway patrol lost a lawsuit just last year about an unconstitutional police practice it used to search drivers for weed.

No single factor explains the uneven trend in weed arrests. One agency said it just cites, rather than arrests, people for possession. Another agency said it was short on staff and cannabis wasn’t its biggest priority. Officers and prosecutors offices said they weren’t ignoring the issue, but some only pursue drug charges if other criminal charges are associated with a case.

“We have to have probable cause,” Overland Park police spokesperson John Lacy told Fox 4 in Kansas City last year. “In other words, they have to be speeding. They have to make an illegal lane change, things of that sort.”

Lacy said his agency cared more about serious felonies.

The Douglas County District Attorney’s Office was one of the few agencies that had a public policy on weed. The policy said the DA’s office isn’t interested in prosecuting weed charges.

Suzanne Valdez, the Douglas County district attorney, said she inherited a policy that’s been around for a decade and saw no reason to change it.

Her office still goes after drug dealers selling hard drugs, but she said stomping out users is a waste of prosecutors’ already limited time and resources.

Prosecuting a single case for possession isn’t quick. It requires lab testing at the KBI. That agency is testing sexual assault kits and evidence in murder cases. A marijuana sample could get lost in the shuffle.

“Marijuana possession? Nope, we’re just not doing it,” Valdez said. “Our law enforcement partners have pretty much accepted that.”

Wichita decriminalized weed in 2022. Medical marijuana or legal cannabis is murkier at a statewide level.

A bill in the Kansas Statehouse now would change how drugs are criminally categorized. That effort joined multiple attempts by state lawmakers to legalize medical marijuana that have stalled in recent years.

Supporters of the change say the public clearly supports legal weed — just look at all the Kansas plates at Missouri dispensaries. The 2023 Kansas Speaks survey found that 67% of Kansas residents support recreational weed, with 12% neutral on the idea, 17% opposed and 4% undecided.

But the political battle will continue.

“We’ve tackled this topic before and we’ll tackle it again,” said Speaker of the House Dan Hawkins, a Wichita Republican.

The Republican-controlled Kansas House has passed out measures to legalize medical weed, but the Republican-controlled Kansas Senate has blocked that.

“They are getting closer,” Hawkins said. “We’ll have our chance.”

This story was originally published by the Kansas City Beacon, a fellow member of the KC Media Collective.

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Missouri

Missouri Democrats vow to fight increased taxes on sales or services

Published

6 hours ago

January 8, 2026

Press Room

Missouri Democrats vow to fight increased taxes on sales or services

Jason Hancock and Steph Quinn
| Missouri Independent

Missouri lawmakers returned to work Wednesday, Jan. 7, to kick off the 2026 legislative session, with Republicans determined to eliminate the state income tax and Democrats vowing to oppose any effort to replace it with increased taxes on sales or services.

Missing from the first day were the partisan fireworks that defined the end of last year’s session and a special session in September. Instead, both the House and Senate functioned normally on Wednesday, quickly running through motions of a first-day and adjourning with little fanfare.

But the partisan schism simmered under the surface.

Republican Gov. Mike Kehoe is pushing for elimination of the state’s income tax and is expecting to lay out his plan next week when he speaks to a joint session of the legislature for his annual State of the State address.

Democrats — still smarting from last year’s GOP moves to cut off debate to pass bills repealing expanded paid sick leave, gerrymander the state congressional map, change the initiative petition process and reimpose an abortion ban — said they are withholding judgment until they see the details of Kehoe’s plan.

But they note the income tax represents 65% of last year’s $13.4 billion in state revenue.

Democrats will not support raising taxes that disproportionately impact lower-income Missourians to pay to eliminate the income tax, said Senate Minority Leader Doug Beck, an Affton Democrat.

“People are already having a really hard time making ends meet in this state,” Beck said. “People are living paycheck to paycheck. So if anyone wants to raise taxes on those folks, that is unacceptable to us. As Democrats, we say there should be no new taxes.”

House Minority Leader Ashley Aune, a Kansas City Democrat, said that while the possible elimination of the income tax is “being sold as … getting rid of your taxes,” most Missourians will see little benefit.

“What they’re not telling you is how much more you’ll have to spend every time you swipe your card,” Aune said, adding: “The next time you have an expensive car repair or costly emergency visit from a plumber to fix a broken pipe, you’ll also be paying double digit sales taxes on that bill. Struggling to pay your rent? The struggle will get even harder when Republicans add a sales tax onto that.”

Democrats will lay out their own income tax proposal next week, Aune said, that will offer “targeted tax relief for those who need it most.”

State Rep. Mark Boyko, the Kirkwood Democrat who will sponsor the measure, said that while Missourians earning over $250,000 could end up paying more under the Democrats’ tax plan, it would generate much-needed revenue.

The proposal, Boyko said, “will actually lower your costs.”

Senate President Cindy O’Laughlin, a Shelbina Republican, urged her colleagues in an opening day speech to work together to “find solutions that move Missouri forward.”

While tax cuts weren’t directly mentioned in her speech, O’Laughlin left little doubt where she stood.

“Taxes, regulations, red tape and bureaucracy do not make Missouri better,” she said. “In every case, they take from Missouri families, they also take from Missouri small businesses. And our job is to reduce that impact. We must make sure what we take is as limited as possible.”

Missouri families want results, O’Laughlin said.

“They want better roads, better schools,” she said. “They want more private home ownership. They want safe streets and neighborhoods. They want better jobs and stronger job skills. They want thriving communities, and they want less dependence on the government at all levels.”

Hovering over the income tax debate is a state budget picture looking gloomier than it has in years.

General revenue is projected to be $400 million below estimates made a year ago. Part of the reason is that a capital gains tax cut passed last year that was estimated to reduce revenue by $111 million annually is now believed to cost as much as $500 million the first year and $360 million a year moving forward.

Beck said that while Democrats decided against using procedural maneuvers to gum up the Senate on the first day, the chamber will move much more slowly this year — not only in response to last year’s GOP moves quash Democratic filibusters, but also to avoid mistakes like the cost of the capital gains tax cut.

“When you shut off debate or refuse to engage with the other side to just rush things through, mistakes happen,” he said. “We were screaming from the hilltop that the capital gains cuts were going to cost way more. But we went too fast, and senators weren’t allowed to do their jobs.”

This story was first published at missouriindependent.com.

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Missouri

Missouri Lottery Powerball, Pick 3 winning numbers for Jan. 7, 2026

Published

18 hours ago

January 8, 2026

Press Room

The Missouri Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Jan. 7, 2026, results for each game:

Winning Powerball numbers from Jan. 7 drawing

15-28-57-58-63, Powerball: 23, Power Play: 2

Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 3 numbers from Jan. 7 drawing

Midday: 7-2-8

Midday Wild: 2

Evening: 7-4-8

Evening Wild: 8

Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 4 numbers from Jan. 7 drawing

Midday: 6-0-8-6

Midday Wild: 7

Evening: 7-8-2-6

Evening Wild: 6

Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash4Life numbers from Jan. 7 drawing

01-07-30-41-56, Cash Ball: 01

Check Cash4Life payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash Pop numbers from Jan. 7 drawing

Early Bird: 04

Morning: 08

Matinee: 13

Prime Time: 08

Night Owl: 10

Check Cash Pop payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Show Me Cash numbers from Jan. 7 drawing

03-05-09-10-36

Check Show Me Cash payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Powerball Double Play numbers from Jan. 7 drawing

28-41-50-61-68, Powerball: 05

Check Powerball Double Play payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize

All Missouri Lottery retailers can redeem prizes up to $600. For prizes over $600, winners have the option to submit their claim by mail or in person at one of Missouri Lottery’s regional offices, by appointment only.

To claim by mail, complete a Missouri Lottery winner claim form, sign your winning ticket, and include a copy of your government-issued photo ID along with a completed IRS Form W-9. Ensure your name, address, telephone number and signature are on the back of your ticket. Claims should be mailed to:

Ticket Redemption

Missouri Lottery

P.O. Box 7777

Jefferson City, MO 65102-7777

For in-person claims, visit the Missouri Lottery Headquarters in Jefferson City or one of the regional offices in Kansas City, Springfield or St. Louis. Be sure to call ahead to verify hours and check if an appointment is required.

For additional instructions or to download the claim form, visit the Missouri Lottery prize claim page.

When are the Missouri Lottery drawings held?

Powerball: 9:59 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
Mega Millions: 10 p.m. Tuesday and Friday.
Pick 3: 12:45 p.m. (Midday) and 8:59 p.m. (Evening) daily.
Pick 4: 12:45 p.m. (Midday) and 8:59 p.m. (Evening) daily.
Cash4Life: 8 p.m. daily.
Cash Pop: 8 a.m. (Early Bird), 11 a.m. (Late Morning), 3 p.m. (Matinee), 7 p.m. (Prime Time) and 11 p.m. (Night Owl) daily.
Show Me Cash: 8:59 p.m. daily.
Lotto: 8:59 p.m. Wednesday and Saturday.
Powerball Double Play: 9:59 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Missouri editor. You can send feedback using this form.

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Missouri

Jaland Lowe, Jayden Quaintance to start for Kentucky vs Missouri, per report

Published

1 day ago

January 7, 2026

Press Room

Jaland Lowe, Jayden Quaintance to start for Kentucky vs Missouri, per report

Kentucky basketball fans have seemed to have finally gotten their wish. After receiving a lot of pushback for not making a change to the starting lineup, more specifically not starting Jaland Lowe since returning from injury, Mark Pope is making a change. According to KSR’s Jack Pilgrim, both Lowe and Jayden Quaintance will start in Kentucky’s game against Missouri. Pilgrim reports the two will replace Collin Chandler and Malachi Moreno as starters against Missouri, which will make the lineup Jaland Lowe, Denzel Aberdeen, Otega Oweh, Mo Dioubate and Jayden Quaintance.

It’s a long-time coming for Kentucky fans, as since Jaland Lowe has been back from injury on Dec. 5, he hasn’t started a single game. Even in the games before he wasn’t included in Kentucky’s starting lineup. That’s seven games played with zero starts to show for it, with fans constantly wondering why Lowe has continued to come into the games following the first media timeout after Kentucky has already fallen behind. He’s not the only one being included in the lineup change, with Quaintance starting as well. Quaintance made his debut against St. John’s and has since been working to get acclimated after spending nine months returning from an injury. Now, he’s getting the start, too. We haven’t seen the two on the floor together since Kentucky’s second-half surge to beat St. John’s on Dec. 20.

The chatter around the starting lineup questions has mainly centered around Lowe, as he is clearly the engine of this team. When he’s not in, Kentucky sturggles to have any flow, or identity for that matter. Now, the Wildcats have the opportunity to start the game off fresh instead of it being like the last game where Kentucky fell behind 9-5 before Lowe came in. Mark Pope hinted on his radio show Monday that this development with Lowe was coming, saying “starting is in his future” while also noting that they’re continuing to ‘nurse’ him along. Before that, though, during Kentucky’s 10-day break between the Bellarmine and Alabama games, Pope discussed the reason why Jaland Lowe had not been starting:

“We’re trying to limit his contact and exposure so much in practice that, the thinking behind that is like, let’s protect the integrity of the group that we have getting most of the reps in practice to actually be able to go perform on the court, just to give some continuity.” At the time, Pope wasn’t sure if that was the right way to go about it, but it’s something he said they would continue to be thinking about moving forward. “That might not be the right answer. We’re going to kind of explore that as we go. It also gives you a chance to maybe extend his healthy window, which we’re hoping is going to be the entire season, by not being the headline guy at the beginning of a scout.”

Well, those comments from Pope combined with the pushback from fans has now led to Jaland Lowe finally making his first start as a Kentucky Wildcat. Mark Pope now has real chance for his team to build some momentum with two players on the floor together in Lowe and Quaintance who will hopefully be staying on the floor together and consistently moving forward. This development is going to be what Kentucky fans focus on most against Missouri.