Missouri’s hemp industry felt betrayed by Gov. Mike Parson’s ban on hemp-derived psychoactive edibles. Many in the industry have been asking to be regulated for years, and thought Parson, who has a pro-business and pro-agriculture reputation, would be receptive.
Now, they’ve placed their faith in Lieutenant Governor — and Republican gubernatorial candidate — Mike Kehoe.
Multiple figures in the Missouri Hemp Trade Association have told KBIA that they believe Kehoe will be friendlier to the industry and might drop the ban entirely.
This widespread industry notion led to a push for Kehoe to win the Republican primary for governor in August, which he did.
“We believe in the industry that he's a friend of hemp, and when we figured that out towards the end, we gave him a great push,” said Brian Riegel, owner of South Point Hemp in Union, Missouri. “And then when he got through the Republican primary, he went from a tie to winning it pretty clearly, and we think we had a pretty good push on the grassroots side to make that accomplished.”
Kehoe won the three-way primary with 39.4% of the vote. The Missouri Hemp Trade Association began circulating a letter of support for Kehoe shortly before the primary.
“Governor Kehoe is a pro-business, pro-small business hemp, and pro-farmer candidate who is vital to the future of Missouri,” the letter states. “Let him know that the hemp industry is on his side!”
Zach Pinnell is a small-business owner and member of the Trade Association. He shared the letter online, including on Reddit.
“I met Mike Kehoe on several occasions, and I can tell you, he doesn't like marijuana,” he said. “He doesn't like drugs, but he believes it's a free country. That's my impression of how he feels. He's definitely very pro-farmer and pro-small business. So, you know, it's complicated and interesting in that regard, but I know that people in the hemp industry have spoken to him.”
Many members of the Missouri Hemp Trade Association say they have heard rumors from other members about Kehoe’s pro-hemp leanings, but many didn’t know exactly where the rumors came from.
Ron Hicks is a former Missouri state legislator and a registered lobbyist with the Missouri Hemp Trade Association. According to a source affiliated with the Trade Association and familiar with both Hicks and Kehoe, the two had multiple conversations that kickstarted the rumor that as governor, Kehoe would be friendly to the hemp industry and is open to regulations.
Hicks did not respond to KBIA’s request for comment.
Members of the industry have also pointed to Kehoe’s silence and lack of involvement in Parson’s executive order. The lieutenant governor hasn’t previously made any statements supporting or opposing the order and was absent at the press conference announcing it. For past executive orders that he supported, such as when Parson announced new rules on foreign-owned farmland, Kehoe stood next to him and expressed his support in a statement.
Finally, some believe that Kehoe will be more open to regulating the hemp industry because he lacks the political connections that might have influenced Parson’s decision to ban psychoactive edibles.
Steve Tilley is a lobbyist and former Republican speaker of the Missouri House and is reportedly a longtime friend and adviser to Parson.
He represents numerous companies in Missouri’s marijuana industry, including the Missouri Cannabis Trade Association, which supports Parson’s order.
Despite Parson not running for an election this year, the association contributed $50,000 to Uniting Missouri, a PAC that supports Parson, less than two months before Parson issued the executive order.
Many in the hemp industry say marijuana interests are too close to Parson’s ear.
“These guys go out there and they just lie about our intentions, our posture, our interests,” said Courtney Allen Curtis, former state lawmaker and lobbyist with the Missouri Hemp Trade Association. “They have told a lot of governmental stakeholders that the hemp industry wants to be unregulated. That is simply not true.”
Parson has said in the past that he does not look to Tilley for policy advice and said at his press conference announcing the executive order that he was not lobbied to about the ban.
In response to KBIA's request for comment, a spokesperson for Kehoe supplied the following statement.
"Lt. Governor Kehoe supports Governor Parson’s goal of keeping unsafe products out of the hands of Missouri children. Kehoe believes that all businesses deserve a fair, clear, and consistent regulatory environment, so they can operate with confidence. As a small businessman himself, he knows that the free-market works and believes regulations should be well-vetted and well-considered through the legislative process."
The statement notably does not outline a specific policy position on the ban, nor does it confirm or deny the conversation with Hicks.
“I think we as an association, I think everyone would say we were drawing for straws, looking for anything, any answer, any help that we could possibly find,” said Missouri Hemp Trade Association board member J.D. McCormick.
Those with a stake in the hemp industry aren’t lying in wait. After the Department of Health and Senior Services announced how they would enforce the order starting Sept. 1, the Missouri Hemp Trade Association filed a lawsuit to stop the order.
And they have praised Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft for blocking emergency rules associated with the order, potentially delaying enforcement for months.
“There's no guarantees or anything from here, nothing we could rely on getting,” Pinnell said. “But our hope is that we could pass a bill like we have in other states, that puts sensible regulations in place.”
Some hemp businesses have already closed their doors and others say they are considering moving their production out of Missouri.
