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But the measures, approved on Wednesday and Thursday by House and Senate committees, also would allow groceries and liquor stores to continue to sell low-dose hemp-THC seltzers.

Unlike marijuana, hemp is federally legal, though several states have passed laws to prohibit intoxicating hemp products in an effort to curb their use by minors. Missouri legislators have tried for the past two years to do that as well.

But some lawmakers are worried that restricting hemp product sales would harshly affect many Missouri businesses.

“This is a tough bill to vote on,� said Rep. Mark Sharp, D-Kansas City, who voted in favor. “On the one hand, you’re regulating to the point where you want to keep children safe, especially in our urban areas. But on the other hand, you’re maybe overregulating.�

Sharp and several other lawmakers said they voted in favor to get “more eyes� on the bill when it reaches the full House, while others voted against because they’d prefer other legislation that has been filed this year.

Under both bills approved this week, all retailers must get a license to sell the beverages. But a key difference is which state agency is tasked with issuing and regulating the licenses.

The Senate bill, sponsored by Sen. Nick Schroer, R-Defiance, puts the job in the hands of the Division of Alcohol and Tobacco Control, which already regulates liquor retailers, distributors and manufacturers.

The House bill, sponsored by Rep. Chad Perkins, R-Bowling Green, will ask the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, which already houses the state’s cannabis regulating agency.

“This isn’t a final product,� Schroer said of his bill in the Senate committee Thursday. “If we’re going to have a regulated industry, implement consumer protections to make sure that the potency that’s on the packaging is exactly what it is. The main point is making sure that our kids don’t have access to this stuff.�

Schroer’s original bill proposed to treat hemp-derived THC edibles, vapes and beverages the same as marijuana — meaning under the Division of Cannabis Regulation’s rules and exclusively sold in dispensaries.

The Missouri Cannabis Trade Association proposed an amendment last month to carve out an exception for beverages, such as THC seltzers sold in cans. It capped the amount of THC at five milligrams per can and excluded drinks made with “synthetic� THC, or THC that has been converted from CBD using a chemical process.

That language is in both the House and Senate bills.

However, Brooklyn Hill, president of the Missouri Hemp Trade Association, said MoCann’s carveout is “not a solution to the problem.�

“This bill will still, even with the hemp beverage carve out, shut down hundreds of Missouri businesses and cost hundreds of Missourians their jobs,� Hill said.

Currently, Delta-8 THC products — including a large variety of drinks that are popular at bars and available at gas stations throughout the state — can be sold in Missouri stores because the intoxicating ingredient is derived from hemp, not marijuana.

Hemp is federally legal, though several states have passed laws to prohibit intoxicating hemp products. Missouri legislators have tried for the past two years to do that as well.

There’s no state or federal law saying teenagers or children can’t buy them or stores can’t sell them to minors — though some stores and vendors have taken it upon themselves to impose age restrictions of 21 and up.

The proposal backed by the Missouri Hemp Trade Association would limit beverages and edibles to 100 mg of THC per serving, saying that some people who use the products medicinally require a higher dose. It directs the Division of Alcohol and Tobacco Control to regulate hemp licensees.

The House public safety committee advanced by a 12-5 vote on Wednesday; the Senate families, seniors and health committee voted 5-1 to recommend .