Missouri’s Cannabis Revenue: Helping Veterans and Fighting Substance Abuse
Since the passing of adult-use cannabis in Missouri in 2022, the state has seen a significant increase in revenue. In fact, the state has recently divided $15 million from adult-use sales to fund support services for military veterans and substance abuse treatment programs, as well as the Missouri Public Defenders budget. And that’s just the beginning – by the end of the fiscal year on July 1, that amount is projected to increase to a whopping $19 million.
According to Division of Cannabis Regulation (DCR) director Amy Moore, the fund accumulation has been nothing short of impressive. “It is so rewarding to see the impact of this voter-approved program on organizations that provide vital services to Missourians,” she said. “We look forward to watching this impact grow and are grateful to be a part of it.”
The way in which medical and adult-use cannabis revenue is collected in Missouri differs slightly. While the constitutional amendment that legalized medical cannabis five years ago goes directly to the MVC, adult-use cannabis revenue must first pay out any fees relating to cannabis offense expungement. The leftover amounts are then divided up among the three beneficiaries: the Missouri Veterans Commission (MVC), Missouri State Public Defender, and the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS).
The MVC is described as a health care and “other services” group that serves both veterans and their families. The Public Defender is a legal option for low-income Missourians. And the DHSS’s goal is “to operate a grant program for subrecipients to increase access to evidence-based, low-barrier drug addiction treatment prioritizing medically proven treatment and overdose prevention and reversal methods and public or private treatment options with an emphasis on reintegrating recipients into their local communities, to support overdose prevention education, and to support job placement, housing, and counseling for those with substance use disorders.” This includes maintenance of veterans’ homes and various cemeteries.
The most recent transfer to these groups on May 17 included a total of $15,229,302 split three ways, with each beneficiary receiving $5,076,434.
In January 2024, Moore gave a presentation in front of the House Veterans Committee showing that the MVC will receive a total of $19 million from cannabis sales revenue by the time that the fiscal year ends on July 1. Furthermore, Moore estimated that next year that amount will increase to approximately $22 million. “The governor’s recommendation is quite a bit more than expected and that is tied to the unexpectedly robust sales, mostly on the adult-use side,” Moore said.
At the time, Moore’s data showed that Missouri had collected $98,873,147 in medical cannabis revenue ($41,406,336 of which went to DCR operating expenses and $39,978,820 to veterans). The state had also collected a total of $57,743,824 in adult-use revenue so far (split between $8,152,210 for DCR operating expenses, in addition to the three sets of beneficiaries).
