After expenses, revenue could go toward processing cannabis evictions, supporting veterans, funding drug treatment and adding to the Missouri Public Defenders System’s budget.
By Rebecca Rivas, Missouri Independent
Since marijuana sales began in Missouri in 2019, the state has collected nearly $100 million in revenue from taxes and software fees, according to state authorities.
Engraved in the state constitution is a road map of where the revenue could go.
The first stop is operational costs. By law, any expenses required to run both medical and recreational marijuana programs—such as salaries or professional services—must be paid for with marijuana proceeds.
This means that cannabis inspectors’ salaries will never compete with those of school teachers, which come from the state’s main money pot, the General Revenue Fund.
The agency that organizes the program, the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, told The Independent last week that its expenditures have reached $38.4 million so far.
The department’s cannabis department salaries make up about a third of that amount. Another third went toward hiring private lawyers to represent the state when companies appealed against their applications.
After expenses, the proceeds could go to support veterans, and fund drug addiction treatment
Read the full article at Marijuana moment
