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Kansas City marijuana is back in the news. See the latest

Stories by Kansas City Star journalists, with AI summarization

Kansas City has seen an influx of recent marijuana news.

Hemp shops across the country are contending with a federal ban, while Kansas City officials are considering offering marijuana lounge licenses and whether certain dispensaries should be allowed to operate 24 hours a day.

Licensed marijuana shops are taking aim at unlicensed businesses selling a chemical cousin of marijuana. The practice from the rogue shops has become known as the "THCa two-step," and legal shops say that it undermines state regulations.

Medical marijuana-based business owners in Missouri hoping to get their product into the hands of customers say they are dealing with a licensing process that is inconsistent and filled with irregularities. By Tammy Ljungblad

NO. 1: KANSAS CITY MAY CREATE LICENSE FOR MARIJUANA LOUNGES WHERE YOU COULD SMOKE ON SITE

Kansas City could soon allow lounges where marijuana use is allowed on site as the concept continues to emerge in Missouri. | Published September 9, 2025 | Read Full Story by Chris Higgins

NO. 2: LOCAL HEMP SHOPS HAVE BOOMED IN KC. NOW THEY’RE GRAPPLING WITH NEW FEDERAL BAN

Emmitt Monslow’s hemp shops in the Kansas City metro are his version of the American dream. | Published November 17, 2025 | Read Full Story by Kacen Bayless

Dr. Smoke at 3955 Broadway Blvd. is named as a defendant in the lawsuit brought by licensed Missouri dispensaries. By David Hudnall

NO. 3: UNLICENSED KANSAS CITY MARIJUANA DEALERS SUED OVER ’THCA TWO-STEP’

A confusing dance has been playing out in Kansas City’s cannabis community in recent years. | Published November 14, 2025 | Read Full Story by David Hudnall

Key Cannabis, a dispensary in an industrial corridor near Front Street and Interstate 435, would be eligible to stay open 24 hours a day under a new zoning amendment. By David Hudnall

NO. 4: 24-HOUR WEED DISPENSARIES? NEW RULE WOULD ALLOW IT IN SOME PARTS OF KANSAS CITY

Kansas City is considering a zoning amendment that would allow certain marijuana dispensaries to operate 24 hours a day. | Published November 18, 2025 | Read Full Story by David Hudnall

The summary above was drafted with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists in our News division. All stories listed were reported, written and edited by McClatchy journalists.