Missourians LOVE Their Weed: 3-Day Marijuana Sales Hit $12.7M, Beating Illinois' Record Roll Out

Adult-use cannabis sales in Missouri launched Friday, several days earlier than expected. During the first three days, weed shops sold some $12.7 million in weed products, out of which $4.2 million was medical marijuana and the remaining $8.5 million went to recreational sales.

The Missouri Cannabis Trade Association (MoCannTrade) said that on Friday alone, state-licensed shops sold more than $5 million worth of weed, twice as much as Illinois, which has double the number of residents. When sales began in Illinois in January 2020, they sold $3.18 million on the first day. What’s more, these sales numbers were reached without several cities like Columbia, home to the University of Missouri, where sales are expected to roll out this week.

“Our industry was adamant that we would be ready on day one to deliver for Missourians, but I never would have imagined this type of reception,” said Andrew Mullins, MoCannTrade executive director. "To have sold more on opening day than Illinois is quite astounding. These opening weekend sales numbers are a testament to what a great program the Missouri Department of Health has run as well as the level of excitement we see from Missourians about cannabis legalization. The best is yet to come.”

Missouri legalized recreational cannabis in the November midterms, becoming the first state in the nation where voters approved the automatic expungement of prior marijuana convictions. With the legalization bill, which won by a comfortable margin, the state expanded its current medical marijuana program by allowing existing licensees to serve both medical and non-medical consumers.

Friday's sales began in less than three months (87 days) after voters approved legalization, making it the second fastest recreational cannabis program launch in the U.S. after Arizona, which launched in just 80 days.

On Friday, the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services Division of Cannabis Regulations issued 207 comprehensive dispensary licenses, 72 comprehensive infused product manufacturing licenses, and 56 comprehensive cultivation licenses, according to a news release from MoCannTrade,

In November, John Mueller, a Missouri native and CEO of Greenlight, one of the largest operators in the state, told Benzinga that Missouri will become an $800 million to $1 billion marketplace. “Greenlight plans to double its staff, add 50% more employees, and anticipate 2.5X their current medical revenue,” he said days after the measure passed. “Due to current medical regulations publicly traded companies are not allowed to operate in the state. With the passage of Amendment 3, it opens the doors for publicly traded multi-state operators to attack the likely billion dollar market.”

Missourians Also Interested In Studying Marijuana

At the same time as weed sales are booming, more young Missourians are becoming interested in studying cannabis. One of those students is Jeff Rowse, who completed Saint Louis University Cannabis Science and Operations Certificate, launched in 2020, and a Medical Science and Therapeutic Management Certificate in 2022, writes KSDK.

“I was unemployed, so I treated it like a full-time job,” Rowse said. “Get up, make breakfast, go to work for eight hours, study. Do more than that, if possible. Because I knew this is the only way I was going to get a job in the industry.”

During his studies, he not only learned about the business aspects of the industry but the science of the plant and the laws around it.

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