It’s been more than five years since cannabis became legal in Missouri. Since that first purchase, the number of registered patients has swelled to more than 120,000, and total profits from Missouri’s marijuana industry — a number buoyed by legalization of adult-use sales in 2023 — is nearing $5 billion.

But rules that govern the multi-billion-dollar industry continue to face changes and challenges. That includes incoming federal restrictions on hemp to Missouri’s ongoing struggle to confront predatory contracts in a cannabis microbusiness program.

Missouri Independent cannabis reporter Rebecca Rivas joined St. Louis on the Air to discuss these recent updates. She also reflected on why Missouri lawmakers have struggled to regulate hemp, the local impact of President Donald Trump’s executive order to reschedule marijuana, and more.

To hear the full conversation with Missouri Independent cannabis reporter Rebecca Rivas, listen to “St. Louis on the Air” on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or YouTube, or click the play button below.

“St. Louis on the Air” brings you the stories of St. Louis and the people who live, work and create in our region. The show is produced by Miya Norfleet, Emily Woodbury, Danny Wicentowski, Elaine Cha and Alex Heuer. The production intern is Darrious Varner. The audio engineer is Aaron Doerr.