Medical Marijuana Brings In Millions For Oklahoma

Medical marijuana makes a lot of money for the state.

Medical marijuana revenue has grown steadily since 2018.

The State Tax Commission reports that more than $ 66 million in taxes were collected in the past fiscal year, up 56% from 2019.

The Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority says there are more than 378,000 active medical marijuana licenses.

For comparison, taxes on cigarettes brought in $ 71 million.

Employees at some pharmacies say attitudes towards their business have changed due to the pandemic.

Korissa Perkins, the manager of Crown Cannabis, says sales in her store rose during the lockdown and have remained constant since then.

“They went up when COVID first appeared,” Perkins said. “Whenever everything shut down, a lot of people found something they could deal with in order to get on with their day-to-day lives.”

Perkins believes that a change in understanding means more people applying for medical cards.

“I think more people are becoming aware of the good benefits and realizing that it’s not really bad for them,” said Perkins. “It can really help you because it’s a natural medicine.”