The cannabis business is looking great for the people of Missouri. Soon, they too will be able to use cannabis revenue to help bolster the economy. Marijuana sales skyrocketed in the state, setting a record high in June at approximately $16.4 million. Overall, medical cannabis sales have ascended to $70 million in the last eight months preceding the opening of the state’s first dispensary. So far, there are a total of 201 medical cannabis facilities, including dispensaries, with about 121,000 patients registered.

In an interview with KHQA, Alan Zagier, a representative from the Missouri Medical Cannabis Trade Association, said the cannabis sector was “essentially Missouri’s newest twenty-first-century industry.” He further noted that, “now we’re really at that moment when rubber hits the road, and we’re really starting to see the results of all this hard work our members have put in.”

It’s evident that Missouri is making moves towards progress with Zagier noting that Missouri has twice the dispensaries of Illinois, even though the latter has double the population. Zagier is making it known that Missouri will be another state that is a heavy hitter in the cannabis industry, where residents no longer have to cross state lines just to smoke a joint or hit a bong.

Zagier even spoke about how this green economic boom could affect the workforce. “The benefit extends to not just cannabis patients but also the workforce,” he said. “This is a real shot in the arm for lots of communities across the state. These are real, tangible jobs.”