An employee at a Flora Farms cultivation facility in Humansville trims marijuana buds on Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2023. Since recreational weed was legalized in 2022, it has led to more than $19 million going towards three causes — supporting veterans, expanding substance use treatment programs and adding to the Missouri Public Defenders System’s budget.
“It is so rewarding to see the impact of this voter-approved program on organizations that provide vital services to Missourians,” said Amy Moore, director of the Division of Cannabis Regulation, which is within the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services.
The constitutional amendment Missouri voters approved in November 2022 to legalize recreational marijuana also established funds for the three causes .
Last fall, each of these three programs received $1.3 million . Then earlier this month, DHSS transferred an additional $5.1 million for each.
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The funds going to the Missouri Veterans Commission are specifically meant to pay for health care and other services for military veterans and their dependent families, according to the division.
The public defender system’s funds will pay for legal assistance for low-income Missourians.
And, DHSS will use its fund to operate a grant program to increase access to drug addiction treatment with an emphasis on reintegrating recipients into their local communities by supporting job placement, housing and counseling.
In January, Moore told state lawmakers that recreational cannabis sales had generated $58 million in revenue, which includes sales tax and annual fees marijuana businesses pay the state. Amy Moore, (right) director of the Missouri Division of Cannabis Regulation, speaks at the National Cannabis Industry Association’s summit on March 28, 2024 in St. Louis. At left is Mitch Meyers, partner at BeLeaf Medical marijuana company. So far, $8.2 million has gone to pay for the state’s operation costs of regulating the recreational marijuana industry — for things like salaries or professional services. More: Recreational marijuana was legalized a year ago. Here’s how Springfield market is growing After operational costs, the next draw on the fund is expenses incurred by the court system for expunging […]
Legal cannabis in Missouri generates $19 million for veterans, treatment, public defenders
