Missouri
Missouri Lawmakers Weigh How To Spend Marijuana Revenues That Regulator Says Continue To ‘Outpace Expectations’
“The funds available for the ultimate beneficiaries of the cannabis regulatory program continue to outpace expectations.”
By Rebecca Rivas, Missouri Independent
As Missouri lawmakers debate the $47.9 billion state budget, they are also deciding how to spend an unexpectedly large chunk of cash from sales taxes collected from marijuana dispensaries.
The nearly $86 million paid by recreational cannabis users is constitutionally required to be divided up evenly between funds benefiting veterans, public defenders and programs that prevent substance use disorders.
“Due to a strong cannabis market and effective, efficient regulation of that market,” Amy Moore, director of the Missouri Division of Cannabis Regulation, told The Independent this week, “the funds available for the ultimate beneficiaries of the cannabis regulatory program continue to outpace expectations.”
In February, Moore told the House budget committee that each fund could receive $28.6 million in the various budget bills debated this spring.
So far, the full $28.6 million has made it into budget legislation for both veterans and substance use disorder programs. Part of it will help fund new partnerships with the state courts, public schools and other providers to support children’s mental health.
The Missouri Veterans Commission will receive an additional $13 million from medical marijuana money as well, and its total $41.6 million will go towards the operational needs and potential repairs for the state’s seven veterans homes.
However, the House has approved only $15.3 million for the public defenders system so far.
State lawmakers have the authority to decide whether to withhold the money, even though they can’t spend it anywhere else.
The public defender’s office, for example, had hoped to use some of the cannabis money to increase their attorneys’ starting pay from $65,000 per year to $70,000. That would align the salary with the attorney general’s office entry-level pay.
“There’s a huge cost to employee turnover,” said Mary Fox, director of the Office of Public Defender, during a budget committee hearing last month, “and where we see that employee turnover is in years one through three, which is why that is where I would like to bring them in line with the attorney general salary.”
That $2.5 million request was shot down in the House, despite the funds being available. During a budget committee hearing, she also asked for $4 million to hire 45 full-time social workers to expand the agency’s holistic defense program, which employs social workers to connect clients with community resources.
For several years, the system suffered from having long waitlists to get legal representation, which resulted in a successful lawsuit against the state.
State Rep. John Voss, a Republican from Cape Girardeau and a budget committee member, pushed to add $1.6 million for pay raises and $1.2 million to hire 20 social workers.
The $1.2 million was added, but the pay raises were not.
“These attorneys represent the poor in our state, and they deserve the best representation that we can provide to them,” said Voss, during a budget committee meeting last month. “In terms of the holistic defense mitigation specialists, I believe that we’re actually investing in ways to prevent people from becoming incarcerated again, and we will wind up saving money across the entire state budget.”
Overall, Voss said part of the reason the public defenders’ total allocation is less than the two other funds is because about $11.7 million was included in budget legislation that required the funds to be spent by June—and the public defenders weren’t poised to do that.
That money goes back to a fund in the Missouri Treasury to be appropriated to the public defenders in pending legislation, Senate Committee on Appropriations Chair Lincoln Hough told Independent last month.
“The money isn’t reallocated,” he said. “It stays dedicated to the public defender. The money is still sitting there and will be allocated in the operating bills.”
After the House votes to approve the bills, likely next week, Hough’s committee will debate them. While the House may not have included the public defenders’ requests for salary raises, the Senate has the ability to add more money back in before May.
“The public defender will be taken care of in the operating bills,” Hough said. “It generally takes right up until the constitutional deadline to get these things done. And so we’ll have plenty of discussion on this.”
This story was first published by Missouri Independent.
States Collected More Than $9.7 Billion In Marijuana Tax Revenue Since Mid-2021, Federal Census Bureau Reports
A Jackson County judge on Friday denied Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway’s attempt to immediately stop Kansas City-based CBD American Shaman and several affiliated companies from selling kratom products.
The motion for a temporary restraining order, which was filed alongside the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, took particular aim at the more potent 7-OH products, which Hanaway argues are “hazardous opioids” banned by state and federal law.
Jackson County Circuit Judge Charles McKenzie’s ruling Friday stated there are “competing affidavits” from experts on both sides of the argument, following a hearing on the motion earlier this week.
“The court cannot find, based on the oral argument of the parties, the respective competing affidavits presented and the pleadings, whether the plaintiff is likely to succeed on the merits at this juncture in the proceedings in order for the court to grant relief in the form of a temporary restraining order,” McKenzie’s order states.
Hanaway’s argument was backed by sworn statements from an undercover narcotics officer with the highway patrol who said 7-OH is being used to cut fentanyl and a woman whose brother died from a kratom overdose.
Her office also submitted an FDA report that points to 7-OH as “a potent opioid that poses an emerging public health threat” and states health data showing synthetic 7-OH was involved in at least 197 Missouri deaths.
American Shaman submitted statements of its own from five toxicology and addiction experts, who largely said there wasn’t enough evidence to show that 7-OH and kratom posed a public health risk. One who researched narcotics said she had never heard of 7-OH being used to cut fentanyl.
Company owner Vince Sanders’ statement detailed how he came up with the idea to create 7-OH products, which now have an “enormous” demand, particularly among people who need pain management.
Sanders could not be reached for comment about the ruling on Friday.
McKenzie denied a temporary restraining order “without prejudice,” meaning that he would like to see more evidence.
“It is because of this finding that the court determines it necessary to hold an additional hearing,” he wrote, “where it can consider the parties’ respective positions with the potential of testimonial evidence and other properly introduced evidence, all as more fully developed by the parties, in order to further analyze these issues.”
The judge will consider “other injunctive relief sought in the pleadings at a future hearing to consider the issues,” the order states.
Hanaway filed a similar lawsuit Thursday against Relax Relief Rejuvenate Trading LLC, and its owners Dustin Robinson and Ajaykumar Patel.
The group received a warning letter from the FDA for producing 7-OH products last year, similar to one received by Shaman Botanicals.
“This is another step in our ongoing crackdown on kratom manufacturers who flout the law and try to justify endangering Missourians in the name of profit,” Hanaway said in a press release Thursday.
“Our mission is to safeguard Missourians from unregulated and addictive substances, and we will continue to pursue every legal tool available to protect public health and safety.”
The Missouri Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at May 10, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Pick 3 numbers from May 10 drawing
Midday: 7-2-5
Midday Wild: 7
Evening: 9-6-8
Evening Wild: 7
Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 4 numbers from May 10 drawing
Midday: 7-1-9-9
Midday Wild: 1
Evening: 6-9-8-9
Evening Wild: 2
Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Cash Pop numbers from May 10 drawing
Early Bird: 02
Morning: 11
Matinee: 10
Prime Time: 12
Night Owl: 11
Check Cash Pop payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Show Me Cash numbers from May 10 drawing
09-18-23-31-39
Check Show Me Cash 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.
BURLINGTON JUNCTION, Mo. (KCTV) – A head-on collision on Highway 71 killed 3 people and seriously injured a 4th, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol.
State Troopers say the crash happened around 1:25 p.m. on Saturday, May 9, near the intersection of Highway 71 and 170th St. – about a mile and a half north of Burlington Junction.
Investigators say a 2026 Chevrolet Equinox, driven by a 59-year-old woman from Carthage, Texas, was heading north on the highway when it crossed the centerline.
The Chevrolet struck a southbound 2026 Ford Explorer head-on, according to MSHP. Both vehicles caught fire and came to rest in the southbound lane.
State Troopers note that the crash killed the Texas driver, a 67-year-old woman from Harlan, Iowa and a 76-year-old woman from Rockwell City, Iowa.
The Ford’s driver – a 72-year-old man from Rockwell City – was airlifted to Bryan West Medical Center in Lincoln, Nebraska, with serious injuries, according to first responders.
Troopers say all four people involved were wearing seatbelts at the time of the crash.
The cause of the collision remains under investigation.
Copyright 2026 KCTV. All rights reserved.
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