Lawyer for marijuana trade group tied to microbusiness controversy

AI-assisted summary

Missouri's social-equity cannabis program has seen state regulators revoke numerous microbusiness licenses.

An attorney who represents the state's cannabis trade group also wrote contracts the state has deemed "predatory."

Legal experts and advocates argue the agreements are designed to exploit the system and the applicants.

Missouri’s social-equity cannabis program has struggled to get off the ground since it began in 2023, with state regulators routinely revoking business licenses for relying on contracts they’ve publicly characterized as “predatory.”

As it turns out, the attorney who crafted most of those contracts also represents the marijuana industry trade group, whose leaders helped create the microbusiness license program to diversify the market and ens