Yes, cannabis is legal in St. Louis. Adults 21 and older can buy, possess, and use marijuana under Missouri’s Amendment 3, which took effect in December 2022, and licensed dispensaries began recreational sales in February 2023.1Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. Ballot to Implementation – A Program’s Journey Medical cannabis has been legal in Missouri since voters passed Amendment 2 in 2018. Both programs are regulated by the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS), and the rules below apply statewide, including in St. Louis.
How Much You Can Buy and Carry
Recreational customers can buy up to 3 ounces of dried, unprocessed marijuana (or the equivalent in other products) per transaction and possess up to 3 ounces at a time.2Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. Adult Use FAQs
Medical patients can purchase up to 6 ounces in any 30-day period and possess up to a 60-day supply, which works out to 12 ounces of dried marijuana or its equivalent.3Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. General FAQs for Cannabis Regulation4Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. Patient and Consumer FAQs A physician can certify a higher monthly amount if the certification spells out why.
All purchases have to happen at a state-licensed dispensary. Recreational buyers need a government-issued photo ID proving they’re at least 21; a Missouri driver’s license, U.S. passport, military ID, or valid out-of-state license all work.3Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. General FAQs for Cannabis Regulation Medical patients bring both a photo ID and their DHSS patient card. The patient card costs about $27 and renews annually.5Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. Fee Schedule – Cannabis
Bring cash. Because cannabis remains federally illegal, most dispensaries can’t take major credit cards; many have ATMs on-site and some accept debit.
Where You Can Legally Use It
Public consumption is off the table. Smoking or otherwise consuming cannabis in any public place is prohibited under Article XIV of the Missouri Constitution, and the penalty is a civil fine of up to $100. A medical card does not change that.6Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Missouri Constitution Article XIV Section 2 The ban covers parks, sidewalks, restaurants, workplaces, schools, and any federal property.
The constitution leaves the door open for licensed consumption lounges, but Missouri hasn’t created a licensing framework for them yet.7Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Missouri Constitution Article XIV Section 1 For now, private residences are the only legal place to use.
Renters
Landlords can ban smoking cannabis on their property. For leases signed on or after December 8, 2022, however, a landlord cannot prohibit a tenant from lawfully possessing cannabis or consuming it by non-smoking methods like edibles or tinctures. Leases signed before that date aren’t subject to the restriction.
Federal Housing
If you live in public housing or use a federal housing voucher, cannabis use of any kind is still prohibited no matter what Missouri law says. HUD takes the position that it must deny federally assisted housing to marijuana users, and that applies to medical patients too.
Driving
Driving under the influence of cannabis is illegal under both Article XIV and Missouri’s DUI statutes.7Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Missouri Constitution Article XIV Section 1 Missouri has not set a THC blood concentration threshold the way it has for alcohol. Officers rely on field sobriety tests and drug recognition evaluations, which means impairment is a judgment call in the moment.
A first cannabis DUI is a misdemeanor carrying up to six months in jail, fines up to $500, and a 30-day license suspension. A second offense can bring up to a year in jail, $1,000 in fines, and a year-long suspension. Multiple offenses within five years can be charged as a felony.
Growing at Home
Adults 21 and older can grow cannabis at home, but only with a consumer personal cultivation card from DHSS, which costs $112.55.5Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. Fee Schedule – Cannabis
Each cardholder can grow up to six flowering plants, six nonflowering plants 14 inches or taller, and six nonflowering plants under 14 inches. The plants must stay in a single enclosed, locked space at a private residence, out of sight from any public place, with access restricted to the cardholder. Every flowering plant has to be labeled with the grower’s name and cultivation card number.8Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. Cultivation – Patient/Caregiver and Consumer
Anything you grow is for personal use only. Selling it or trading it for anything of value is not allowed.
Penalties for Going Over the Limit
Missouri’s penalties for amounts near the legal cap are deliberately light. Possession of up to twice the legal amount (so up to 6 ounces for a recreational consumer) is handled on a stepped civil track:9Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Missouri Constitution Article XIV Section 2
- First violation: civil infraction, fine up to $250, plus forfeiture of the marijuana.
- Second violation: civil infraction, fine up to $500, plus forfeiture.
- Third or later violation: misdemeanor, fine up to $1,000, plus forfeiture.
You can do community service instead of paying the fine, credited at $15 an hour or minimum wage, whichever is higher. Anyone under 21 caught with cannabis faces a civil penalty of up to $250 and can substitute up to eight hours of drug education for the fine.
Going well past twice the legal limit moves into criminal territory under Missouri’s controlled substance statutes. Possession of more than 35 grams beyond what Article XIV protects can be charged as a class D felony.10Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Missouri Revised Statutes RSMo Section 579.015
Workplace Drug Testing
The gap between medical and recreational use is sharpest here. Employers cannot discriminate against a medical patient in hiring, firing, or any condition of employment based on patient status or a positive marijuana test, as long as the employee wasn’t using at work or showing up impaired.6Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Missouri Constitution Article XIV Section 2 A cardholder who uses at home on a Saturday can’t be fired Monday over the test alone.
There are exceptions. Employers can still act if the job is safety-sensitive, if the employee was impaired on duty, or if accommodating medical use would cost the employer a federal contract or license. Post-offer drug testing is still permitted.
Recreational users get none of this. A Missouri employer can refuse to hire or can terminate you for a positive marijuana test even when your use was legal and off the clock. For regular users whose employers test, getting a medical card for a qualifying condition is the only path to real job protection.
Old Cannabis Convictions
Amendment 3 required Missouri courts to automatically review and clear qualifying cannabis convictions without the person filing anything. More than 140,000 records have been expunged under that process.9Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Missouri Constitution Article XIV Section 2
A Missouri Supreme Court ruling later narrowed the “marijuana offenses” eligible for expungement to those involving 3 ounces or less, so convictions tied to larger quantities may not qualify automatically even though the amendment’s language seemed broader. The state also missed both constitutional deadlines for finishing the review. If you have a prior cannabis conviction in Missouri, it’s worth checking your record through the courts, because eligible cases have slipped through.