Can your children purchase legal products to get high in Missouri? Delta 8 may not be considered marijuana but creates similar, unregulated high

Did you know that your child can walk or drive to several places in Cedar County and pick up a chemical compound derived from hemp that, as one online store advertises, is capable of "getting you stoned out of your mind?" And the product is available online in Missouri if someone doesn't want to travel. The THC product is referred to as Delta 8 (marijuana has a Delta 9 compound.) It is derived from hemp, the same plant species as marijuana, but not regulated in Missouri. Many teenagers are familiar with it. Although some brick-and-mortar stores, such as gas stations and vape stores, have self-imposed an age limit to selling Delta 8, a child of any age can legally purchase it in Missouri. Yet, it is banned in 17 states and severely restricted in seven others. Delta 8 contains THC, the same chemical that creates the marijuana high, and is sold as gummies, cookies, and candy, and is used in vapes or can be smoked.