Missouri medical marijuana dispensary sales grow while prices of products go down for patients

OZARK, Mo. (KY3) - The medical marijuana business is booming in Missouri, setting a record high of more than $20 million for the month of July.

Sales soaring can likely be linked to more availability to get the products. Missouri has licensed 379 facilities, with 135 operational.

And the number of patients is growing along with the number of providers. With more products available that also means more money in patients’ pockets.

“So, more competition with manufacturers and cultivators, prices go down and we’re able to offer better prices,” John Lopez, Managing Member, of Old Route 66 Wellness says.

“In the beginning, we had zero control, and if we didn’t want to purchase it would go to someone else,” he says. “That’s just how it went. Everything in the state was being sold, no matter where it was at, and so we had no leverage”

They are able to drop prices of some products. And that’s a good feeling for those in the business.

“These are people who have cancer, these are parents of kiddos who are on the spectrum who can’t sleep,” Charlea Estes-Jones the manager of Cassville Dispensary says. “And being able to give them a better price is a good feeling.”

And with more options, that means more products. Taylor Winfield, a manager at the Old Route 66 Dispensary in Ozark says his grandma uses it to help with her Parkinson’s. Having products other than just the buds has made a world of difference for her, making the product’s benefits a little more approachable.

“She didn’t want to smoke it,” he says. “It’s it’s an easier medium to understand just getting a gummy.”

Industry analysts estimate sales will reach at least $200 million annually once all going.

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