How do Illinois and Missouri cannabis industries compare?
Last November, the citizens of Missouri passed Amendment 3 via ballot initiative, legalizing recreational cannabis in the Show Me state and expanding on the medical program that started in 2018. While Illinois shares 361 miles of border with Missouri, the cannabis regulatory frameworks and markets are quite different. Below are statistics for several categories that directly compare the cannabis industries in both Midwest states.
State Population
Missouri: 6.18 m
Illinois: 12.67 m
Number of Medical Patients
Missouri: Active Patients: 202,314
Illinois: Active Patients: 137,138
Number of Approved Medical Cannabis Cultivation Licenses
Missouri: 50
Illinois: 21
Number of Dispensaries
Missouri: 196
Illinois: 113
Homegrow
Missouri: All adults 21 or over with application to state and $100 fee. Six plant limit
Illinois: Medical patients only. Five plant limit
Cannabis Tax
Missouri: 6% state tax in addition to 4% state sales tax. Counties and municipalities have an option to add up to 3% additional tax
Illinois: 10% tax on cannabis flower or products with less than 35% THC. 20% tax on products infused with cannabis, such as edible products. 25% tax on any product with a THC concentration more than 35%. All in addition to a 6.25% state sales tax. Counties and municipalities can add up to 3.5% in additional tax.
Possession Limits
Missouri: Medical patients may purchase up to 6 ounces of dried flower or equivalent product (1g concentrate = 3.5g of flower, 100mg of edibles = 3.5 g of flower). Recreational consumers may possess up to 3 ounces.
Illinois: Medical patients may purchase up to 5 ounces of dried flower or equivalent product ( For concentrates, edibles, or other non-flower cannabis products, the pre-weight of the cannabis flower used to make the product counts toward the purchase limit). For Illinois residents, it’s 30 grams of cannabis flower, 5 grams of concentrate, or 500mg of THC for infused products. Non-residents can purchase 15 grams of cannabis flower, 5 grams of concentrate, or 250mg of infused THC.
Price of Cheapest/Most Expensive Closest Eighth of Flower
These categories were determined by simply choosing the closest Illinois and Missouri dispensaries to me.
Missouri: $30/$50
Illinois $50/$65
Price of Cheapest/Most Expensive Concentrate
Missouri:$35/$80
Illinois:$50/$90
Cannabis Delivery
Missouri: Yes
Illinois: No
Medical Reciprocity
Missouri: Out of State medical cards allow patients to possess up to the same limits as in-state medical patients but not purchase. Missouri allows anyone from any state to apply for an in-state medical card and you may hold a Missouri medical card as a resident of any other state.
Illinois: No
For a comparison between Illinois and Michigan legal cannabis industries, click here.
To listen to more information about these comparisons, check out the Chillinois Podcast here.
For more Illinois cannabis industry news, visit here.
To learn about cannabis-friendly events in Illinois, visit here.
For Illinois News Joint reviews, visit here.
To qualify and receive a medical patient card at a discounted rate, visit here.