Marijuana is in high demand in the Show-Me State.
Since early February, Missourians have spent over $230 million on marijuana, according to the Missouri Cannabis Trade Association.
MoCann Trade spokesperson Jack Cardetti told Up To Date on Thursday that high demand is contributing to the statewide supply shortage. Plus, state cultivators are only producing at about 40% capacity after overproducing for the medical market by 92,000 pounds in 2022.
“There was a severe oversupply so a lot of cultivators in Missouri shut off rooms and had yet to expand once the vote (to legalize recreational marijuana) came down in November,” Cardetti said.
But he said the shortage is a short-term problem. The real issue? Banks.
“Things like going to a bank and getting a loan to build out a cultivation facility, that doesn’t happen,” he said.
Because weed is illegal at the federal level, both banks and businesses are under scrutiny to meet regulations. The federal government requires banks to inspect every marijuana facility and licensee, which banks say is a lot of work.
Missouri lawmakers are considering legislation that would allow state agencies, like the Department of Health and Senior Services, to share marijuana licensing information with banks and credit unions so they wouldn't need to duplicate efforts.
“A lot of the normalized banking and investing that would happen in any other billion dollar industry can't happen in the cannabis industry,” Cardetti said.
- Jack Cardetti, spokesperson for the Missouri Cannabis Trade Association
