Missouri legal marijuana sales average $4 million a day

FILE – An employee at the Good Leaf Dispensary measures out marijuana for a customer on the reservation Mohawks call Akwesasne, on March 14, 2022, in St. Regis, N.Y. Pot is a popular topic on ballots again this November election. Arkansas, Maryland, Missouri, North Dakota and South Dakota have measures on their ballots to amend their constitutions and legalize recreational marijuana for those 21 and older. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)

by: Heidi Schmidt

Posted: Jul 14, 2023 / 12:50 PM CDT

Updated: Jul 14, 2023 / 12:51 PM CDT

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Recreational marijuana has only been legal in Missouri for five months but the industry is already expected to top $1 billion in sales by the end of the year.

Data from the Missouri Division of Cannabis Regulations shows the state averages $4 million a day in legal cannabis sales. In the five months since adult-use was legalized there has been a total of $592.3 million in marijuana sales.

The benefits don’t stop there, according to MoCannTrade, an association that works to implement safe and legal cannabis programs.

MoCannTrade says Missouri’s cannabis industry also created more than 8,000 industry jobs this year.

That number will likely continue to grow. Next week the state will begin accepting applications for businesses interested in opening cannabis microbusinesses. Applications are due by August 10.

Marijuana microbusinesses are facilities licensed to eligible entities and individuals, designed to allow marginalized or under-represented individuals to participate in the legal marijuana market.

Additional information about microbusinesses, and the application process, is available online at Health.MO.gov.

Cities and counties across the state are using money generated from marijuana taxes on things like public safety and infrastructure and road improvements.