ST. LOUIS— The one-year anniversary of the February 3, 2023 start of legal sales of recreational marijuana came and went without much fanfare in Missouri, but the numbers behind sales have told a loud story.
The state reported $1.04 billion in recreational marijuana sales in 2023, according to figures released late last month by the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. January’s figures will be out later this month.
December alone saw the state’s highest-selling month, with $106.5 million in recreational sales.
In the year since sales began, dozens of Missouri municipalities have passed sales tax measures authorized under the 2022 Constitutional amendment that legalized the recreational sale. Communities that passed local 3% sales tax measures in April of last year started collecting it in October, with many using the revenue for general fund purposes, while some dedicated it for law enforcement. A state sales tax of 6% is charged to administer the program at the state level.
St. Louis County projects as much as $3 million in marijuana-related sales tax revenue in 2024, but that hinges on the county’s ability to “stack” 3% on top of what incorporated cities and towns are already collecting.
In the lead up to