Newcomer Missouri surpasses 'weed capital' Colorado in marijuana sales for 2024

Missouri may have surpassed the country's "weed capital" in marijuana sales this year.

Green Market Report, an online publication that specializes in marijuana industry financial news, ranked Missouri as the state with the fifth most marijuana sales (including medical and recreational) in the country, sailing past Colorado. The publication reported that between January and June, marijuana sales reached about $709 million in Missouri. This is in comparison to $679 million reported for Colorado.

This number is close to what the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services reported between January and June. The DHSS' Monthly Sales Dashboard reported that recreational and medical marijuana sales were at about $711 million in Missouri.

And the Green Market Report's figures for Colorado appear on par, too. The Colorado Department of Revenue reported that recreational and medical marijuana sales were at about $589 million between January and May. It's safe to assume that this figure would increase, closer to the Green Market Report's figure, with the addition of June sales.

The Green Market Report also ranks Missouri higher than Washington ($596 million), Arizona ($586 million), Maryland ($552 million) and Oregon ($475 million), states that have all had recreational marijuana industries longer (except Maryland, which also legalized recreational, adult-use marijuana in November 2022).

More: Here's what to know about Flora Farms' new marijuana dispensary in Hollister

As for the top four states with the highest recreational marijuana sales, Greek Market Report published the following:

1. California: $2.086 billion
2. Michigan: $1.62 billion
3. Illinois: $847 million
4. Massachusetts: $795 million

Greta Cross is the trending topics reporter for the Springfield News-Leader. She has more than five years of journalism experience covering everything from Ozarks history to Springfield’s LGBTQIA+ community. Follow her on X and Instagram @gretalcross. Story idea? Email her at gcross@news-leader.com .

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Newcomer Missouri surpasses 'weed capital' Colorado in marijuana sales for 2024