With every election season that comes, it’s become almost inevitable that at least one or two more of the states will legalize cannabis for either fully recreational usage or at least medical reasons. Even if it was but a midterm election, the 2022 election season still resulted in two more states legalizing cannabis for recreational purposes, those being Maryland and, more interestingly, the heartland state of Missouri. When Missourians passed the 2022 bill Amendment 3 by a 53-47 margin, which legalized cannabis for recreational use, activists and professionals alike knew that it would make for a very interesting state of affairs.
Due to several beneficial factors, the first year of recreational sales in Missouri broke the astronomical margin of $1.3 billion. In fact, every month of the 2023 fiscal year topped $90 million in recreational sales. The billion-dollar figure alone is a financial wonder, as the total population of Missouri was only 6.1 million as of 2021. Interestingly, the Missouri cannabis industry also reached $1 billion in annual sales during a period that was actually considered a three-month decline when compared to previous months.
According to MJBizDaily data, Missouri outsold Maryland, Connecticut and even the chaotic and problem-laden New York