One Thing To Realize About Recreational Marijuana in Montana

If you are new to Montana or don't deep dive into local politics, you probably don't know about this interesting fact about recreational marijuana in Montana.

Marijuana is becoming a big business in Montana. 2022 was the first year marijuana was legalized for recreational use, and the government has seen huge dividends since. Montana has made over $645 million in recreational and medicinal marijuana sales combined since 2022.

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That's fantastic news for Montana, right?

Not exactly.

Recreational marijuana was legalized in Montana, but every county in the state then voted on whether or not they wanted to have the option to sell recreational marijuana.

You will be surprised to learn that over half the counties in Montana don't allow recreational marijuana sales. They still have medicinal options, but you won't be able to buy marijuana recreationally.

Montana is broken up into green or red counties. Green offers recreational sales, but 31 counties in Montana only offer medicinal sales. Check out the map below.

As you can see, several counties offer adult-use sales with local option tax, but most of Montana is red.

Why is it like that?

More conservative areas are vehemently against cannabis sales, but the proof is in the money. Could you imagine the revenue Montana could see if more counties allowed recreational sales? The revenue could easily reach a billion dollars.

The taxes from cannabis sales are all towards programs in Montana that need desperate funding, and it's helped them out. Montana Fish, Wildlife, Parks, veterans, and the HEART Program, which helps fight addiction, all benefit.

If more Montana counties adopt recreational use, they could see huge improvements in their community.

If you are traveling around Montana, you might want to check to see whether or not the area you are in allows recreational sales, or you might be in trouble.

Maybe the voters will change their minds soon, and all of Montana will be green.

For more details, check out the Montana Department of Revenue.