St. Louis County Prosecutor Wesley Bell will no longer prosecute cases for possession of less than 100 grams of marijuana. The new policy first came to light in an internal memo to prosecutors and staff from Bell regarding changes in prosecutorial policy. It was leaked to reporters during Bell’s first week in office. Bell was sworn in as St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney on January 1 after being elected to the position in November.

Although Bell said in a Facebook post after the memo’s release that the changes had not yet been finalized, in an email to local media, his chief of staff Sam Alton wrote that the new policy has already been enacted.

The United States’ thriving obsession with CBD-infused coffee products has resulted in another product launch, this time in the American heartland. The Roasterie, a Kansas City company, announced on Monday that it is retailing a canned cold brew with 10 milligrams of CBD.

It’s going to be awhile before medical marijuana will be available to Missouri patients.

The timetable imposed by Amendment 2 – which Missouri voters overwhelmingly backed in November – will likely give the state close to a year before pot in its various forms will be legally available for patients.

Dr. Patricia Hurford, a Kirkwood-based physician, is optimistic that the wait will be worth it. She also practices in Illinois, which has had a medical-marijuana program in place for several years.

Missouri has begun the move toward medical marijuana, naming an outgoing lawmaker to a leadership role and announcing the start of the process for those who want to grow, make or sell marijuana products.

The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services said Wednesday it will begin accepting application fees for cultivation, infused product manufacturing and dispensaries on Jan. 5. Forms are available on the health department website. Application fees are non-refundable.

Republican Rep. Lyndall Fraker of Marshfield will serve as director of medical marijuana and Amy Moore will be deputy director and counsel.

Starting Thursday, the medical use of marijuana in Missouri is legal. The measure approved by voters to allow patients with cancer, PTSD and other ailments to use marijuana takes effect Thursday, but it will be months before that can actually happen.

The state has until June 4th of next year to make applications available for patients to talk to a physician. Then it will be another 30 days before they start accepting those applications and another 30 days after that before they start issuing patient cards.

Marijuana and Missouri. The two take a huge step forward Wednesday when the state's new medical marijuana law goes into effect.

Here's the deal.

If you have cancer, HIV, epilepsy or many other disorders, you'll be able to legally access the drug.

But that doesn't mean you'll be getting legal marijuana Wednesday.

The law takes effect Wednesday, kicking off a list of deadlines.

No later than June 4th, the state health department needs to make applications available, so you have something you can take to a doctor and get signed.

Thirty days after that, so no later than July 4th, they have to start accepting applications.

 Gov. Mike Parson’s administration has not decided whether thousands of Missouri welfare recipients will lose their benefits if they use medical marijuana.

In response to a series of questions put to administration officials this week, the Department of Social Services, which administers the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program, said the question remains under review.

“The Department of Social Services is currently studying the issue and will make a decision on how to proceed at the appropriate time,” spokeswoman Rebecca Woelfel told the Post-Dispatch.

Officials, for example, also have not made decisions on whether to bar medical marijuana users from certain state jobs.

Right now Missourians who want to get their medical marijuana card would need to need to choose between using the drug or keeping their gun. Keeping both means you run the risk of being arrested because it’s illegal under federal gun laws for any marijuana user to possess a firearm.

Two weeks ago, state voters overwhelming passed Amendment 2, also known as New Approach Missouri, which allows doctors to recommend medical marijuana to patients with serious illnesses.

Spokesperson Jack Cardetti said the new marijuana law had the foresight to protect second amendment rights at the state level.

The clock is ticking on medical marijuana in Missouri, but there’s still a lot people don’t know. Here’s more about the grey areas and what will have to be figured out quickly.

Constitutional amendments go into effect on Dec. 6, but it won’t be legal by then. That’s just when the clock starts ticking on deadlines to accept applications for medical cards and dispensaries.

However, there are things that are not spelled out that a local attorney is closely watching.

Many Kansas City metro residents cross the state line between Missouri and Kansas multiple times a day. Now that Missouri has voted to legalize medical marijuana, what will those with legal prescriptions need to know when going into Kansas? 

"We are a metro area with hundreds of thousands of people crossing the state line, so it is something we will have to address," Johnson County District Attorney Steve Howe said Thursday. 

Voters in Missouri spoke loudly at the polls on Tuesday. Medical marijuana will become legal on Dec. 6, and residents must have a prescription to use it. 

Under the current law, any Missouri resident possessing medical marijuana could be arrested after crossing into Kansas, where medical marijuana is not legal, according to Howe.