State marks fifth transfer of funds from medical marijuana program

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services has transferred $13 million from the state's medical marijuana program to the Missouri Veterans Commission, according to a news release.

This is the fifth transfer since the medical program was formed in 2018, bringing the total transferred to $39,978,820.

DHSS also transferred $3,836,919 made from the state's adult-use marijuana program to other agencies. The funds go to the Missouri Veterans Commission, the State Public Defender program, and a grant program from the DHSS to increase access to "evidence-based, low-barrier drug addiction treatment prioritizing medically proven treatment and overdose prevention."

Voters voted in 2018 and 2022 to adopt these transfers as part of new constitutional amendments outlined in Article XIV, Sections 1 and 2.

 "We are now starting to see the financial impact the program’s success will have on multiple organizations and the Missourians they serve,” said Amy Moore, Director of the Division of Cannabis Regulation with DHSS.

All three agencies are transferred the same amount of funds, $1,278,973.