Welcome to RFT’s 2022 Cannabis User Guide | Weed News | St. Louis | St. Louis News and Events

When it comes to the Missouri medical marijuana market, everything is going green.

Bad weed pun? Maybe, but it refers precisely to the benefits the industry derives from it. Since dispensaries opened in October 2020, the state’s cannabis industry has grossed nearly $300 million, according to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. In March alone, the state recorded more than $30 million in retail sales, which was a 15% jump from February and set a new monthly sales record.

There is also rapid employment growth. So far, more than 7,500 government employee ID cards – which are required to work in medical cannabis facilities – have been issued; in fact, the cannabis industry accounted for 10% of all new jobs in Missouri in 2021.

The expansion of the industry can be seen most clearly by the dispensaries that are popping up all over the city. Some 188 of them have been approved to operate in Missouri, including more than 50, by our count, in the greater St. Louis area. That’s good news for the more than 180,000 medical marijuana card-carrying patients in the state, who are seeing increasingly high-quality products at lower prices as the industry matures and competition intensifies.

Soon, however, cannabis enthusiasts may be able to shop without a doctor’s approval. Several ballot measures that would legalize recreational weed are currently moving through the legislative process, and at least one of them will likely end up before Missouri voters in November.

Given how successful the industry has been in the state so far, it’s fair to guess that recreational weed got the votes. In fact, you could say Missouri and the cannabis industry are shaping up to be the best, ahem, buds (sorry, really).

And so, we would like to welcome you to RFT2022 Cannabis User Guide. Click to read strain reviews, news on weed you can use, and a full list of all dispensaries currently open in the greater St. Louis area.

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