John SchroyerMissouri surpassed the $100 million mark in marijuana sales for the month of February, its first month ever of selling both medical and recreational cannabis after adult use launched on Friday, Feb. 3.
Recreational cannabis sales topped $71.7 million, while medical added another $31.2 million, KSDK reported, adding that the numbers far outpaced neighbors such as Illinois.
With such a strong start to the Missouri market, dozens of Kansas City-area municipalities and county governments are now considering adding local taxes to recreational marijuana sales, Fox 4 reported.
State law allows local governments to tack on as much as 3% sales tax to cannabis goods, in addition to the 6% state tax that is levied. Medical cannabis is taxed at 4% and those sales are not eligible for added local taxes, Fox 4 reported.
In the four-county Kansas City metro area, at least two county governments, and “dozens” of municipalities will have the 3% tax on the April 4 election ballot, Fox 4 reported, and those votes could affect more than 40 operational cannabis shops.
The local governments voting on the tax include:
- Cass County
- Jackson County
- Belton
- Blue Springs
- Buckner
- Excelsior Springs
- Gladstone
- Grain Valley
- Grandview
- Greenwood
- Independence
- Kansas City, Mo.
- Kearney
- Lee’s Summit
- Liberty
- Peculiar
- Raymore
- Raytown
- Riverside
