A Missouri law establishing explicit collective bargaining protections for workers employed by marijuana businesses took effect today, August 28.
Under the new law, employees working in marijuana cultivation, processing, manufacturing, distribution, retail and support operations have the right to organize, join labor organizations and collectively negotiate with their employers.
The law also clarifies that employment in the marijuana industry is not considered agricultural labor when determining eligibility for collective bargaining protections.
That distinction applies even to employees working in indoor cultivation and processing facilities, preventing those workers from being excluded from the protections based on agricultural labor exemptions.
The provision was included in House Bill 2641, a broader marijuana and hemp measure approved by lawmakers earlier this year. An official legislative summary says the law gives people employed by cannabis-related businesses the ability to organize and bargain collectively while ensuring cannabis employment is treated as covered employment under Missouri’s collective bargaining protections.
The collective bargaining section was given an effective date of August 28, while most of the bill’s other provisions are scheduled to take effect November 12.
Those later provisions include new restrictions and regulations governing certain hemp-derived cannabinoid products.
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