Missouri Sees Strong Marijuana Sales As Prices Remain Steady, Industry Analysts Say

“Missouri is viewed as a stronger market than others. There are things happening in Missouri that are causing consumers to not just be shopping on price.”

By Rebecca Rivas, Missouri Independent

More people are heading to Missouri’s dispensaries to buy cannabis products—and spending more money when they go, according to industry experts who spoke Thursday at the MJ Unpacked cannabis conference in St. Louis.

While dispensaries in other states are offering steep discounts to try and attract customers, Missouri’s prices have remained steady.

“Missouri is viewed as a stronger market than others,” said Kris Walker, president and chief commercial officer at Hoodie Analytics, during a panel discussion on retail data analysis. “There are things happening in Missouri that are causing consumers to not just be shopping on price. When you’re only shopping on price, it becomes a race to the bottom.”

Samuel Soong, chief revenue officer at Grön cannabis edible brand, called Missouri customers “very savvy.”

“They know what they want,” he said. “They’re expecting a lot of value in their purchasing.”

The numbers agree. When the average shopper goes to a Missouri dispensary, they end up spending about $65, with the average price per item being $24.60, according to data compiled by Hoodie. That’s above the national average of $61 and $18.41.

In Colorado and New Mexico, the average item price is about $11.

The most popular item in Missouri is still traditional marijuana buds, or what the industry simply calls “flower.” However, the item that’s seen the most growth in the last year—both in Missouri and nationwide—is pre-rolled joints.

A year ago, 48 percent of every transaction included flower, and today it’s 43 percent. Walker said that’s largely due to customers buying more pre-rolled joints, which are often infused with concentrated cannabis oil. They’re designed for people who want a more potent and longer-lasting high than what traditional flower offers.

“It’s a convenient form factor,” said Krista Raymer, chief strategy officer at C3 Industries that operates High Profile cannabis dispensaries. “It’s great for the customer.”

Raymer said in some other states, the growth of pre-rolled joints has brought challenges because it meant that customers are spending less.

“Fundamentally, they are purchasing less brands per transaction,” she said. “Missouri pre-roll prices are holding a little bit differently than maybe what we’ve seen in other markets, but it is something that we pay attention to, a lot.”

Throughout the country, Missouri is still considered a “shining star,” Walker said.

John Mueller, co-founder and CEO at Greenlight, believes the regulatory environment is a big part of the state’s success, particularly because the industry was able to write its own laws.

“If you can write your own rules and ballot initiative and it’s in the constitution, that’s like your best line of defense,” Mueller said.

Every year, industry lobbyists work to kill any legislation that attempts to “control our business,” he said.

“Just let us do business, stay out of our way, we keep paying the veterans, everything’s good here,” Mueller said. “I go around talking in the other states we operate, I think we’ve set a gold standard here.”

He also points to the limited number of licenses.

“Limited licenses is the whole key to any market,” he said. “We won’t go into a market unless there’s a set number.”

Walker said that Missouri also has “disciplined operators.”

“If you’ve got a disciplined operator who knows they’re running a business for profit and growth and long-term brand building, you make different decisions than, ‘Oh my God, the guy across the street just dropped his price by 30 percent. I should do it too,’” he said. “That is an undisciplined choice that unfortunately has very significant consequences.”

This story was first published by Missouri Independent.

Marijuana Business Leaders Not Optimistic Rescheduling Will Happen This Year, Despite 97% Saying It’s ‘Important’ To Their Viability, Poll Shows

Marijuana business leaders are not optimistic that federal rescheduling will happen this year—though 97 percent said the reform and the resulting federal tax relief are “important” to their “long-term viability”—according to a new poll.

Shield Compliance, which provides compliance management solutions for banks serving the legal cannabis industry, released the results of its 2025 Financial Services Survey on Wednesday, highlighting the “banking experiences and priorities” of state-licensed marijuana businesses.

Notably, the poll asked about the pending federal marijuana reclassification proposal to move marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) that President Donald Trump recently said his administration will decide on imminently.

When asked to rate the prospects that rescheduling would be achieved this year on a scale from 0 to 100, the average response was just 34.

That’s in spite of the fact that the vast majority of respondents (about 97 percent) said that rescheduling—and the resulting federal tax relief—say the reforms are “important” to the “long-term viability” of their businesses.

That includes 61 percent who described them as “extremely important.”

The survey also showed that, while many marijuana businesses have struggled to access financial services under federal prohibition, most of those that have are evidently satisfied with their current providers, with more than 80 percent reporting satisfaction with their customer service and over 70 percent saying they’re content with compliance requirements.

Through there is that level of satisfaction, the poll, which had 142 respondents, also found that more than 60 percent of cannabis operators are eager for innovation around payment solutions. And almost 30 percent said they’re considering switching financial institutions next year to obtain access to credit.

“The survey results highlight a paradox in cannabis banking,” Tony Repanich, president and CEO of Shield Compliance, said in a press release. “Operators value their banking relationships yet demand for credit access and payments innovation underscores significant opportunities for financial institutions ready to lean in, particularly as the creditworthiness of operators improves with market consolidation and regulatory reform.”

But the broader issue of banking challenges in the marijuana industry persists. And while rescheduling would mean that the sector would no longer be prohibited from taking federal tax deductions under an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) code known as 280E, that wouldn’t resolve the underlying banking issue.

To that end, a bipartisan coalition of 32 state and territory attorneys general from across the U.S. recently called on Congress to pass a marijuana banking bill to free up financial services access for licensed cannabis businesses.

Meanwhile, the Democratic Senate sponsor of the Secure and Fair Enforcement Regulation (SAFER) Banking Act recently said that, despite efforts to coordinate meetings around the legislation, other priorities have taken precedence for now.

Asked about recent comments Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-OH)—the lead GOP sponsor of the SAFER Banking Act this session who told Marijuana Moment that he doesn’t expect the bill to come up until this fall—Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) said, “Hopefully sooner than later in my mind.”

In January, the office of Rep. Dave Joyce (R-OH), who is again leading the effort on the House said, told Marijuana Moment that he would be filing the cannabis banking legislation this session but that its introduction was “not imminent” as some earlier reports had suggested.

—Marijuana Moment is tracking hundreds of cannabis, psychedelics and drug policy bills in state legislatures and Congress this year. Patreon supporters pledging at least $25/month get access to our interactive maps, charts and hearing calendar so they don’t miss any developments.

Learn more about our marijuana bill tracker and become a supporter on Patreon to get access.—

A leading anti-marijuana group recently sounded the alarm about a possible attempt to put the cannabis banking measure in a cryptocurrency bill that was advancing on the Senate floor, but that didn’t come to fruition.

With Republicans in control of both chambers and key leadership positions filled by opponents of marijuana legalization, it’s been an open question about whether any cannabis reform legislation stands a chance of passage in the short-term. That’s despite the fact that Trump endorsed marijuana industry banking access, rescheduling and a Florida legalization initiative on the campaign trail.

On the House side, a Republican lawmaker said in March he’s hopeful that Congress will be able to get a marijuana banking bill across “the finish line” this session, arguing that the current barriers to financial services for the industry represent a “second tier” of prohibition.

Cannabis industry banking challenges came up in several congressional hearings in March, including a Senate Banking Committee meeting on debanking where senators on both sides of the aisle addressed the lack of financial services access for marijuana businesses.

Meanwhile, in January congressional researchers released a report detailing the subject of debanking—while making a point to address how the marijuana industry’s financial services access problem “sits at the nexus” of a state-federal policy conflict that complicates the debate.

Separately, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) announced in December that it’s convening focus groups comprised of marijuana businesses to better understand their experiences with access to banking services under federal prohibition.

Delaware Officials Tout ‘Strong Rise’ In Marijuana Sales, With $7.3 Million Worth Of Purchases In First Month Of Market Launch

Delaware officials are touting the “strong rise” in marijuana sales since the recreational market launched, with $7.4 million in purchases reported in the first month since retailers started serving adult consumers.

On Tuesday, the Office of the Marijuana Commissioner (OCM) announced the state’s “strong results” from August, which saw customers “demonstrating broad interest in a variety of products including flower, vapes, edibles, pre-rolls, tinctures, and topicals.”

“The first month of sales reflects both high demand and a smooth rollout, signaling a solid foundation for Delaware’s developing cannabis industry,” OCM said. There was a “strong rise in the sales of adult-use recreational marijuana in the state since its launch.”

As of September, regulators have issued 79 conditional licenses and three active licenses, and OCM said the office “continues its work to strengthen and expand the market,” with additional license approval pending.

The state is also planning to support the industry by distributing Social Equity Financial Assistance (SEFA) Grants for qualifying licensees. And the office said it is actively carrying out a comprehensive review of the overall cannabis program “to ensure Delaware’s cannabis industry grows safely, sustainably, and equitably.”

Of the $7,354,293 in marijuana sales the state saw last month, the largest product category was flower, with $4,065,032 in purchases. That amounts to about 55 percent of the total sales.

OCM also noted that there are currently 447 cannabis strains in production, with 171 already available at licensed retailers.

Meanwhile, Delaware’s governor last week vetoed a bill that would have overruled local zoning authority on marijuana and made it easier for cannabis businesses to set up shop—and the sponsor of the legislation says the governor “lied” to him about a deal to get it enacted into law.

Gov. Matt Meyer (D) had made it clear in interviews leading up to Thursday’s action that he was struggling with the decision as he tried to balance his respect for local decision-making as a former New Castle County executive with his desire to see the state’s marijuana market launch in a way that ensure broad consumer access to legal and regulated products.

Last month, during an interview with Delaware Public Media, Meyer also discussed a conversation he had with Colorado Gov. Jared Polis (D) about regulating the marijuana industry—drawing a contrast between their respective responsibilities given the fact that Colorado is much larger with more local jurisdictions to interact with compared to Delaware, which has just three counties.

The launch of Delaware’s legal market comes about two years after marijuana legalization was enacted into law under former Gov. John Carney (D).

Ahead of the sales roll-out, the governor in July toured one of the state’s cannabis cultivation facilities, praising the quality of marijuana that’s being produced, which he said will be the “French wine of weed.”

The launch of the legal market comes amid some controversy, however, with critics alleging that allowing medical operators to start adult-use sales ahead of other license applicants is unfair. Dozens of other would-be retailers that have either already received licenses or are still awaiting issuance will need to wait for further regulatory approvals until they can open their doors—a situation that’s frustrated some advocates.

Meanwhile, two lawmakers who led the push to legalize marijuana are separately seeking input from consumers and businesses about the market launch. Sen. Trey Paradee (D), the sponsor of the zoning bill SB 75, and House Majority Whip Rep. Ed Osienski (D)—the primary sponsor of the state’s 2023 legalization bills—put out a new online form last month for residents to share thoughts and feedback about the cannabis program anonymously.

The idea is to identify any hiccups that lawmakers might need to address when they return for next year’s legislative session.

OCM initially projected that recreational sales would start by March, but complications related to securing an FBI fingerprint background check service code delayed the implementation. Lawmakers passed a bill in April to resolve the issue, and the FBI subsequently issued the code that the stat’s marijuana law requires.

—Marijuana Moment is tracking hundreds of cannabis, psychedelics and drug policy bills in state legislatures and Congress this year. Patreon supporters pledging at least $25/month get access to our interactive maps, charts and hearing calendar so they don’t miss any developments.

Learn more about our marijuana bill tracker and become a supporter on Patreon to get access.—

Late last year, OMC held a series of licensing lotteries for cannabis business to start serving adult consumers.

A total of 125 licenses will ultimately be issued, including 30 retailers, 60 cultivators, 30 manufacturers and five testing labs. Last year, regulators also detailed what portion of each category is reserved for social equity applicants, microbusinesses and general open licenses.

Regulators have also been rolling out a series of proposed regulations to stand up the forthcoming adult-use cannabis industry.

Meanwhile, Carney raised eyebrows in January after making a questionable claim that “nobody” wants cannabis shops in their neighborhoods, even if there’s consensus that criminalization doesn’t work.

The then-governor last year signed several additional marijuana bills into law, including measures that would allow existing medical cannabis businesses in the state to begin recreational sales on an expedited basis, transfer regulatory authority for the medical program and make technical changes to marijuana statutes.

The dual licensing legislation is meant to allow recreational sales to begin months earlier than planned, though critics say the legislation would give an unfair market advantage to larger, more dominant businesses already operating in multiple states.

In October, Carney also gave final approval to legislation to enact state-level protections for banks that provide services to licensed marijuana businesses.

Delaware’s medical marijuana program is also being significantly expanded under a law that officially took effect last July.

The policy change removes limitations for patient eligibility based on a specific set of qualifying health conditions. Instead, doctors will be able to issue cannabis recommendations for any condition they see fit.

The law also allows patients over the age of 65 to self-certify for medical cannabis access without the need for a doctor’s recommendation.