Cannabis sales in Missouri topped $100 million during the first month of permitted adult-use sales, KSDK reports. Adult-use sales comprised $71.7 million while medical cannabis sales represented $31.2 million of the first month sales total.
Comparatively, Illinois, which has twice the population of Missouri, saw $39.2 million in cannabis sales the first month after adult-use sales commenced.
From February 3 to February 5 – the first weekend of adult-use sales – the state’s licensed dispensaries sold $13 million worth of cannabis products, the report says.
Nick Wegman, the general manager of Feel State Dispensary, told KSDK that adult-use legalization led to the then-medical cannabis dispensary seeing about 150 patients per day to seeing 550 customers “overnight.” He added that he’s had to hire 15 more people and plans to double that over the next couple of weeks and plans to expand the dispensary by another 3,000 square feet.
Andrew Mullins, executive director of the Missouri Cannabis Trade Association, told NPR-affiliate KCUR that if the sales trend continues, the industry could top $1 billion in revenue this year. Mullins noted that the strong first-month sales could be driven, in part, by cannabis tourists as Missouri is bordered by several states where cannabis remains outlawed.
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