Missouri was ready for recreational weed. When adult use became legal on February 3, dispensaries sold $5 million worth of cannabis in a single day, more than what Illinois sold on its first day of legal adult use in 2020. In that first weekend alone, Missouri sold $12.7 million worth of cannabis.
Now the Missouri cannabis industry is on track to reach $1 billion in annual sales. John Mueller, the CEO of Greenlight Dispensaries, says he hired 100 more people to work at his medical dispensaries after recreational use became legal.
Amendment 3, which legalized adult use, also included automatic expungements for nonviolent marijuana-related offenses that didn't involve selling to a minor. So far, more than 10,000 expungements have been granted.
It's not all sunshine and flower, though.
When Viola STL opened a dispensary across from CITYPARK Stadium in January, it was only the second Black-owned dispensary in St. Louis. (Luxury Leaf was the first.) There are high barriers to entry in the legal weed game, hindering entrepreneurs who aren't well-heeled or connected. Some say they paid tens of thousands of dollars to go through the licensing process only to be denied.
Later this year, the state will start distributing microbusiness licenses, which are meant to help those with less capital, disabled veterans, people in disadvantaged ZIP codes and folks who were incarcerated for marijuana offenses break into the marijuana industry. The licenses have a low refundable fee, just $1,500, but the state is only required to hand out 144 such licenses and can take up to 800 days to do so. Meanwhile, the major players in the cannabis field are already making millions.
What's the future of the weed industry look like in Missouri? It's still unclear, but one thing is certain: It won't look equitable for a while.
As you enjoy the new freedoms enshrined in the Missouri constitution, we hope this User's Guide offers news, diversion and a road map to better usage. Meet a major dispensary owner, a woman using cannabis to treat her patients and a top chef now making gummies. Peruse our reviews of everything from dabs to CBD drinks. And hear us out on our modest proposal for a new law regulating weed culture.
It's a brave new world in the Show-Me State. Indulge, enjoy and celebrate.
Check out the rest of this year's User's Guide:
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