Strong legal weed sales fuel high hopes for some small Missouri towns

Business owners across the state are looking to the future after a surprisingly strong start to recreational marijuana sales.
In the first weekend of recreational cannabis sales in the state, Missourians spent more than $12 million on both recreational and medical products. The strong sales were despite many operators being caught by surprise; the opening of recreational sales came a few days earlier than expected.

Now, business owners are looking to the future of the industry in Missouri, and that’s not just happening in the biggest cities.

Brooke Foster was one CEO who was preparing to begin recreational sales on Monday but was caught off guard when the state gave the go-ahead to start selling Friday.