JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Missouri has filed civil lawsuits against four retailers, alleging that products marketed as legal hemp exceeded THC limits and were sold outside the state’s licensed marijuana system.

Attorney General Catherine Hanaway’s office identified Puffers Choice in Aurora, CBD Kratom Cannabis Dispensary in Des Peres, Herb Depot in Independence and Token THC Dispensary in Rock Port.

The state alleges deceptive labeling and, in some cases, marketing that could lead customers to believe the businesses operated under the same regulatory system as licensed dispensaries. Those are allegations in civil cases, not findings against the retailers.

The office is seeking injunctions, civil penalties and other relief. It also seeks public-nuisance designations against three of the businesses.

The actions come before provisions of House Bill 2641 take effect November 12. The attorney general said a federal court dismissed a challenge to that law November 4.

For consumers, the central distinction is that a store’s use of the word dispensary or hemp does not itself establish state licensing or compliant product testing. The announced lawsuits have not established that every product sold by the named businesses was unlawful.