Missouri marijuana sales surpass $102 million in first month of adult market

Missouri raked in a whopping $102.9 million in cannabis sales last month, according to data released by the state Department of Health and Elderly Services. Almost $72 million of its total sales came from recreational cannabis, with the other roughly $31 million from medical sales.

Within hours of switching to recreational cannabis on Feb. 3, three days ahead of schedule, Missouri’s 195 legal dispensaries had generated combined sales revenue of over $12 million. The newly released total for February suggests that consumer enthusiasm was strong throughout the month.

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$4 million a day in February

“We’re really blown away by the enthusiasm here for adult-use cannabis,” Jack Cardetti, spokesman for the Missouri Cannabis Trade Association, told Leafly. “To see that kind of sales money in the shortest month of the year, and considering Rec only had 25 days and a soft start, that’s a testament to our industry and regulators.”

Sales of recreational cannabis, taxed at 6%, brought in $4.3 million in the state coffers last month, while sales of medicinal cannabis, taxed at 4%, brought in more than $1.2 million dollars.

The state’s previous peak for monthly marijuana sales was December 2022, when the all-medical industry surpassed $40 million for the first time. Missouri began medical sales in October 2020 and has average monthly sales of approximately $33 million for the past year.

Few lines, lots on offer

Cardetti, who represents the state’s largest weed lobby, credited Missouri’s existing adult-use medical facility infrastructure and teachings from nearly two dozen other states for better-than-expected sales in February. Hardly any pharmacy in Missouri has reported problems of long lines, supply problems, limited product selection and high prices that have handcuffed every other state in recent years.

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Missouri’s “opt-out” solution is a winner

And unlike many Rec states, which require counties and municipalities to “register” for adult sales, Missouri requires the opposite. Essentially everyone is in, unless local voters decide to officially oppose cannabis sales. Cardetti said most of his cities have provided people from across the state — and even neighboring states like Kansas, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Arkansas — with access to nearby legal cannabis.

“We’ve heard from very, very few local governments that want to exit,” Cardetti said. “And that’s one of the reasons why our pharmacies are so evenly distributed.”

exceed expectations

Cannabis consultant John Payne served as campaign manager for Legal Missouri 2022, which campaigned for Amendment 3 to legalize possession of up to three ounces of cannabis flower or its equivalent in other cannabis products for all adults 21 and older. After years of monitoring the two dozen other states to pass the rec before Show-Me State, Payne’s team estimated that Missouri would generate $70-$80 million in total revenue in the first rec month.

When word of the nearly $103 million hit his desk on Friday, Payne was pleasantly surprised.

“There was a lot of catching up to do”

“I think there was a lot of catching up to do,” he said. “Many people who qualify as patients in Missouri and would be interested in purchasing medical marijuana were initially reluctant because of potential conflicts with gun ownership laws. Rec eliminates most of those concerns and I think many people are more comfortable buying the plant now.”

“To go from the passage of Amendment 3 to the first sale of recreational cannabis in just 87 days was incredible, but to hit $100 million in sales in a truncated month is spectacular,” he added. “We’ve set quite aggressive timelines to get this program up and running and overall it’s been very successful so far.”