ST. LOUIS — The Missouri Attorney General on Wednesday sent cease and desist letters to 18 unlicensed St. Louis area dispensaries ordering them to stop selling deceptive hemp products in violation of the state constitution.

“These unlicensed dispensaries are peddling dangerous, deceptive and intoxicating cannabis and marijuana products. A storefront and a sales counter do not magically convert an illegal drug operation into a legitimate business,” Attorney General Catherine Hanaway said in a news release.

The attorney general’s office said lab testing confirmed many of the businesses sold substances that contained lead, arsenic, mercury, ethanol, pesticides and other contaminants, solvents and unknown byproducts.

Businesses in the St. Louis area include: 

• 30314 Smoke Shop in St. Louis;
• AREA 51 STL in St. Louis;
• CBD Kratom Tower Grove in St. Louis;
• Conoco / Zamani Mart in St. Louis;
• Coughing Cardinal in St. Louis;
• Far Out in Maplewood;
• Flare Smoke N Vape in Ballwin;
• Furr Dispensary in St. Louis;
• Gateway Dispensary in St. Louis;
• Get Plugged Dispensary in St. Louis;
• Good Times Smoke Shop in St. Louis;
• Moonlight Smoke Shop in St. Louis;
• Muddy Waters Smoke Shop in St. Louis;
• Paradise Smoke Shop in St. Louis;
• Pit Stop Smoke Shop in St. Louis;
• The Smoke Station in St. Louis;
• Titanium Vapor in St. Louis; and
• Vaporized STL in Maplewood.

Cease and desist letters were also sent to several dispensaries in the Kansas City and Springfield regions.

A copy of the cease and desist letter sent to Gray Area Cannabis in Independence said testing of delta-9 THC products sold by the business showed a concentration greater than .3%, which would classify the products as marijuana. Marijuana can’t be sold in Missouri without a license.

“Consumers are deceived and think they are going to a licensed store, when, in reality, they are not — subjecting them to unregulated intoxicating hemp products they would not otherwise purchase,” the letter said.

The letter also accused the store of selling intoxicating hemp marketed as marijuana with labeling such as “weed” and “cannabis.”

The attorney general’s office claims the stores are violating the Missouri Merchandising Practices Act, selling “adulterated” products, using deceptive packaging and labeling, including designs targeting children. It did not disclose specific details on the brands or types of products that were tested.

“My office is prepared to use the full extent of our authority to hold bad actors accountable,” Hanaway said.