Missouri marijuana sales slip in August, but Montana sets monthly record.
Two marijuana markets saw sales go different directions in August.
Monthly sales of legal marijuana in Missouri shrank slightly to $119 million, with month-over-month declines in both adult-use and medical marijuana sales.
But in Montana, monthly legal cannabis sales reached a record high.
Missouri’s $119 million figure for August represents a 3.4% decrease from July’s $123.2 million sales total, according to data posted by the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS).
The August figure includes $97 million in monthly adult-use sales (down from $98.7 million in July) and $22 million of medical marijuana sales (down from $24.5 million in July).
Cumulative Missouri adult-use and MMJ sales since 2020 are approaching $1.5 billion, according to the DHSS data.
The Missouri market was beset by controversy in August, when state authorities:
- Recalled products from cannabis extraction company Delta Extraction.
- Suspended the business licenses of three unidentified marijuana facilities, according to St. Louis TV station KSDK.
Meanwhile, Montana’s monthly total of nearly $28.7 million in cannabis sales represents a 0.5% increase over July, according to state Department of Revenue figures.
The August sales total includes roughly $23.7 million in adult-use sales (up from $23.5 million in July) and just under $5 million in medical marijuana sales (down slightly from July).
Cumulative sales for both of Montana’s legal marijuana markets have exceeded $516.2 million since January 2022, when the state launched its adult-use market.
Oregon regulators to allow marijuana products with aspergillus
The Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission will allow the sale and transfer of marijuana products that have tested positive for aspergillus, a type of mold that has led to product recalls in several markets.
The regulator’s decision means 2,500 pounds of cannabis and 65,000 infused pre-roll units that previously tested positive for the mold but were held back can now be sold through licensed channels, according to a news release.
The Oregon Health Authority in May adopted new rules for cannabis producers that had “zero tolerance” for any products that tested positive for aspergillus.
Cultivators legally challenged the rules, arguing that the mold hasn’t been proved to be harmful and that a zero-tolerance approach would put them out of business.
The Oregon Court of Appeals temporarily halted the requirement in August.
Aspergillus isn’t harmful to healthy people, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
But for people with compromised immune systems, breathing in the mold can “cause an infection in the lungs or sinuses which can spread to other parts of the body,” according to the CDC website.
Pennsylvania advances bill allowing marijuana growers, processors to sell direct.
Pennsylvania’s Senate approved a bill allowing medical marijuana growers and processors to sell product directly to patients.
Senate Bill 773, sponsored by Republican Sen. Chris Gebhard, would grant cannabis cultivators and product manufacturers dispensary licenses to serve patients directly, according to the Patriot-News.
The bill now heads to the House, where some lawmakers could propose additional measures, the media outlet reported.
It bears watching if negotiations extend beyond the state’s MMJ program, including revisiting a bipartisan adult-use marijuana legalization proposal reintroduced in July.
Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro has shown strong support for adult-use legalization.
But several Pennsylvania Republicans, who currently control the state Senate, have opposed widespread marijuana reform in the past.
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