$5 million of marijuana products sold in first day of legal sales in Missouri

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - The numbers are in for the first weekend of legal marijuana sales in Missouri for anyone 21 and older. More than $5 million was spent on the first day alone. The state on Friday approved 207 dispensaries with licenses to begin selling immediately for adult use.

The Missouri Department of Health released the day-by-day total on Monday.

The total sales for Friday, Saturday and Sunday was $12.7 million. $4.2 million were medical sales. $8.5 million was adult use sales.

The state taxation rate is 4% on medical sales and 6% on adult use sales. That makes the total tax revenue for the weekend more than half a million dollars.

Legalization of previously unlawful activities have been a boon on both sides of the state line. Kansas legalized sports gambling, which remains illegal in MIssouri. Missouri legalized cannabis sales. Sale and possession in remain illegal in Kansas.

Early tax revenue for cannabis sales far exceeds state tax revenue for sports betting when looking at the starts of each program.

The first legal bets at Kansas casinos began in September 2022. The Kansas Lottery tracks earnings.

The state tax revenue for that entire month was $129,618. The Missouri cannabis tax revenue of $526,810 for just the first three days is four times as much.

The sports gambling revenue for the state of Kansas rose in each of the month following the start in September. Here are the monthly totals for the state’s share currently available.

September $129,618
October $141,088
November $795,784
December $1,026,140

Each state’s revenue is earmarked for different things.

For Kansas, 80% of the sports gambling proceeds goes into a fund to attract another professional sports franchise to the state.

For Missouri, the marijuana money goes towards facilitating expungements, drug abuse prevention services, veteran’s health care services, and the state’s public defender program.

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