WASHINGTON, Mo. – An officer in charge of a VFW Post in Washington, Missouri, says that the state “raided” the post looking for hemp-infused goods that weren’t regulated.
MO officials say the word “raid” isn’t accurate, but they did tell FOX 2 that some workers came to the Post on Wednesday after an anonymous report.
In August, Missouri put in place an executive order to ban a number of unregulated products that contain hemp, such as those containing delta-8 THC and related compounds. Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft turned down emergency rules that would have enforced the order.
However, the state has since created a task group to look into the matter and has looked into complaints about products that aren’t regulated.
While Jason Stanfield is in charge of VFW Post 2661, he says he was surprised when two state inspectors showed up because the Post does not sell any of the goods that the executive order targets. The Post said on Facebook that an adult drink that was legal in the state was called into question.
It’s not against the law or anything. On Friday, Stanfield told FOX 2 that they were just giving their members an option to alcohol.
Lisa Cox, who is in charge of communications for the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, told FOX 2 that two DHSS inspectors went to the Post on Wednesday because of an anonymous complaint they got on September 5 about the goods they had for sale.
The two inspectors were “let inside upon request,” according to Cox, and they didn’t find any problems. She says that when they left, no goods were destroyed or put on hold.
Stanfield says that the state found two drinks with delta-9 THC in them, but neither of them broke the executive order.
“They said they had to follow the governor’s ban on drinks with THC derived from hemp that were on the ban list. He said, “They said they were tampered with.”
Daily News
“We have vets who take a lot of medicines that don’t work well with alcohol.” We’re not just a bar. Anne Stanfield, Junior Vice Commander of VFW 2661, said, “We offer these drinks for people who use cannabis more.”
Jason Stanfield says he didn’t understand Missouri DHSS’s answer and was also annoyed by how quickly it came.
“All of us here are over 21,” Stanfield said. “We know that the governor said the embargo was put in place to protect children.” A pretty small number of kids belong to the VFW.
In honor of the 23rd anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Stanfield says the inspectors showed up after he lowered a half-staff flag to remember the service members and citizens who died in those attacks.
“We are not sure that raiding a Veterans of Foreign Wars Post on September 11th, right after lowering our flag to half-staff in remembrance… was the best or most respectful time to do it,” the VFW said on Facebook.
Cox says that the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) has received more than 100 complaints or tips since Aug. 1, when Gov. Mike Parson announced an executive order that uncontrolled hemp products would be sold.
He also says that work had been done on the VFW complaint almost two weeks before the state’s new task force was formed.