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Projected marijuana tax revenue in 2024 enough to fully fund Missouri’s health, public safety departments

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Projected marijuana tax revenue in 2024 enough to fully fund Missouri’s health, public safety departments


JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KFVS) – The combined state and local tax revenue generated from cannabis sales in Missouri is projected to reach $238 million in 2024, according to estimates by the Missouri Cannabis Trade Association.

For perspective and scale, that’s one million more dollars than what Gov. Mike Parson recommended to fund Missouri’s Departments of Health & Senior Services and Public Safety combined in 2025.

“Honestly, we, we’ve continued to grow,” said Katie West, who manages Missouri Health & Wellness dispensary in Jefferson City. “We see new people every day. We see people come from out of state. We see people come from all over the place and it’s just really exciting. There’s no shortage.”

The association reported total sales of $2.5 billion since the products were first legalized in 2020, resulting in $370 million in state and local revenue. $984.6 million of that total came from medical marijuana sales.

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“We think that the Missouri program has really been an example for the country,” said Jack Cardetti, who represents the Missouri Cannabis Trade Association. “A lot of excited people here in Missouri because they’re able, for the first time of the last few years, to get access to safe, legal, compliant marijuana.”

The state’s constitution, in which laws regulating the marijuana industry are written, specifies how the revenue generated by sales is to be spent.

First, funds are used to cover the state costs of regulating the industry itself. Next, funds are required to be used to perform the required expungements of past marijuana convictions of eligible citizens.

Finally, the remaining funds are split three ways: a portion is allocated to the state’s public defender system; another, to drug treatment services; and finally, to the Missouri Veterans Commission.

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Man from Clever killed in crash near his home

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Man from Clever killed in crash near his home


CLEVER, Mo. (KY3) – A man from Clever died in a crash near his home Thursday afternoon.

According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, a truck drove off the side of Old Wire Road west of Clever and hit a tree. The driver, 48, died after being taken to Cox South Hospital.

The Highway Patrol reports the driver was not wearing a seatbelt. No one else was injured.

To report a correction or typo, please email digitalnews@ky3.com. Please include the article info in the subject line of the email.

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Missing Missouri college student Melissa Oelke found dead after abandoned vehicle discovered in rural Illinois

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Missing Missouri college student Melissa Oelke found dead after abandoned vehicle discovered in rural Illinois


A missing Missouri college student who disappeared during an extended spring break trip home was found dead on Saturday in Illinois, near where her abandoned car had been discovered.

Melissa Oelke, 21, was reported missing on Thursday after she left her St. Peters, Mo. home without her phone at around 7:30 a.m. that same day, the St. Peters Police Department said.

Oelke, a student at the private art College of Creative Studies in Detroit, Michigan, had been home for spring break at the time of her disappearance, her father, Gerald Oelke, told the Belleville News-Democrat.

Melissa Oelke was found dead in Illinois after disappearing from home in Missouri on March 28, 2026. St. Peters Police Department

Gerald Oelke revealed to the outlet that his daughter had been stressed out over her recent midterms and extended her spring break to focus on her mental health.

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After leaving her residence Thursday morning, Oelke drove around and made several stops, including at a Target in her hometown, a grocery store and a Walgreens, the outlet reported.

Oelke’s car was later found abandoned on the side of a rural road outside of St. Jacob, Illinois, approximately 60 miles east of her home.

Police swarmed the rural roadway where Oelke’s empty car was discovered stuck in an embankment near a creek, according to photos obtained by the outlet.

A dashcam inside the car had been removed before the vehicle was found, Gerald Oelke said.

Oelke was last seen wearing an olive‑green hooded sweatshirt, denim jeans, and black athletic shoes with white soles. St. Peters Police Department
Oelke was a student at the private art College of Creative Studies in Detroit, Michigan, on spring break when she went missing. St. Peters Police Department

Oelke had “several medical conditions that require attention,” creating a more urgent search for officials concerned for the missing student’s well-being.

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Illinois emergency officials launched a search of the area looking for Oelke, using drones and K-9 units.

Officials revealed Oelke was found dead on Saturday in Madison County, Illinois, the same county her car had been discovered the day before.

A cause of death has not been released, but officials have ruled out foul play and believe there is no threat to the public, KMOV reported.

“We ask that you keep her family in your thoughts during this difficult time. Thank you to everyone who shared this post and offered your prayers,” the St. Peters Police Department said.

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Missouri school leader using new wastewater testing results to warn about drugs

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Missouri school leader using new wastewater testing results to warn about drugs


“We have great kids. We have great parents. We have great community here,” said Matt Copeland, superintendent of the Craig R-III School District. “But I’m also not naive enough to know that there aren’t drugs somewhere.” That’s why school leaders partnered with the MSHP to educate students.



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