In July, there was more legal marijuana sold in Montana than any previous month.
There was $28,717,104 worth of marijuana sold legally July, according to data compiled and released by the Montana Department of Revenue. This breaks the single-month record of $28,697,312 set in August 2023.
$24,899,839 of the total marijuana sales in July were purchased by recreational consumers, with $3,817,266 purchased by medical marijuana dispensaries.
The year-to-date total for marijuana sales in Montana is $185,904,169, bringing all-time sales since January 2022 to $808,635,185. These sales have resulted in over $160 million in tax revenue.
July marks the 17th consecutive month that marijuana sales have surpassed $25 million.
Montana legalized recreational marijuana in 2021, with the first licensed retail outlets opening in January 2022. State laws permit individuals aged 21 and over to possess up to one ounce of marijuana. Recreational purchases are taxed at 20%, and medical purchases at 4%.
In Montana, marijuana tax revenue is distributed as follows:
- $6 million to the Healing and Ending Addiction through Recovery and Treatment (HEART) account established in 16-12-122, MCA,
- 20% to Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Parks to be used solely as funding for wildlife habitat
- 4% to the state park account
- 4% to the trails and recreational facilities account
- 4% to the nongame wildlife account
- 3% or $200,000, whichever is less, to the veterans and surviving spouses state special revenue account
- $150,000 to the board of crime control to fund crisis intervention team training for the biennium beginning July 1, 2021,
- $300,000 to the Department of Justice to administer grant funding to local and state law enforcement agencies for the purpose of purchasing and training drug detection canines and canine handlers, including canines owned by local law enforcement agencies to replace canines who were trained to detect marijuana
- The remainder to the general fund
