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Missouri’s Legal Cannabis Industry Has Generated $19 Million For Veterans, Treatment, Public Defenders

Legal adult-use cannabis sales launched in Missouri in February 2023 (approved by voters in 2022), and in less than 30 days Missouri’s then nearly 200 dispensaries made roughly $72 million in sales. Missouri’s medical cannabis sales added an addition $31 million to the total amount of legal sales in Missouri during the period.

Since Missouri’s adult-use legalization industry launched, legal sales in the state have generated over $19 million for veterans, substance use treatment programs, and the Missouri Public Defenders System’s budget.

Part of Missouri’s legalization model involves earmarking cannabis industry tax revenue for related funds for veterans, substance use treatment programs, and public defenders.

“It is so rewarding to see the impact of this voter-approved program on organizations that provide vital services to Missourians,” said Amy Moore, director of the Division of Cannabis Regulation, according to initial reporting by Missouri Independent.

According to leading cannabis industry data company Headset, “the total sales for March 2024 reached $124.08 million, with over 4 million units sold” in Missouri.

Per original reporting by Marijuana Moment, during the first year of legal adult-use sales Missouri “sold more than $1.4 billion worth of legal cannabis,” of which roughly $1.13 billion was from adult-use purchases and another $280 million was from medical cannabis transactions.

Total legal cannabis sales in the United States are expected to reach $31.4 billion in 2024 according to a recent analysis by Whitney Economics. Additionally, leading cannabis jobs platform Vangst, in conjunction with Whitney Economics, estimates that the legal cannabis industry now supports 440,445 full time-equivalent cannabis jobs in the United States.

Whitney Economics also projects the following legal cannabis sales figures in the United States for the coming years:

  • 2024: $31.4 billion (9.1% growth from 2023)
  • 2025: $35.2 billion (12.1% growth from 2024)
  • 2030: $67.2 billion
  • 2035: $87.0 billion

The emerging legal cannabis industry in the United States is projected to add roughly $112 billion to the nation’s economy in 2024 according to a newly released analysis by MJBiz Daily. The projection is part of the company’s 2024 MJBiz Factbook.

“The total U.S. economic impact generated by regulated marijuana sales could top $112.4 billion in 2024, about 12% more than last year,” MJBiz stated in its initial reporting.

The United States adult-use cannabis industry has generated over $20 billion in total tax revenue since the first legal recreational cannabis purchase was made in Colorado on January 1st, 2014 according to a new report by the Marijuana Policy Project.

“Through the first quarter of 2024, states have reported a combined total of more than $20 billion in tax revenue from legal, adult-use cannabis sales. In 2023 alone, legalization states generated more than $4 billion in cannabis tax revenue from adult-use sales, which is the most revenue generated by cannabis sales in a single year.” the Marijuana Policy project stated in a press release.