Massachusetts Marijuana Sales Top $2 Billion Since Launch Of Adult-Use Market, Regulators Report

Massachusetts marijuana sales have topped $2 billion since the state’s adult-use market launched in late 2018, the Cannabis Control Commission reported on Wednesday.

Gross sales from the state’s 165 cannabis retailers and three delivery services reached $2,009,007,478 as of August 31. That doubles the sales total that the commission reported last November, according to the state’s seed-to-sale tracking system.

Via CCC.

“As the Commission reflects on our four years of work, I hope the Commonwealth is proud of the agency we have built and the new industry that has been introduced and established,” Commission Executive Director Shawn Collins said in a press release. “This milestone speaks to the success of licensees that have interacted with the Commission from the application stage, maintained compliance with our strict regulations, and contribute every day to communities across the Commonwealth.”

“This number also underscores the entire agency’s tireless efforts, particularly those of our hardworking staff, to thoughtfully regulate a safe, accessible, and effective adult-use marketplace that keeps critical tenets of our mission—public health, public safety, and equity, among others—front of mind,” Collins added.

While advocates are encouraged that the state’s cannabis market has continued to thrive—especially in spite of the coronavirus pandemic—activists have continue to push regulators to ensure that the industry is equitable and promotes participation by people most impacted by prohibition.

Via CCC.

These sales figures reflect trends that have been observed in other state-legal markets.

On 9/1/17, @MA_Cannabis set out to regulate cannabis access in Massachusetts. On our fourth birthday, we recognize the hard work of many who got us here today, plus an additional milestone: https://t.co/akAnWXKbZk

— Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission (@MA_Cannabis) September 1, 2021

Arizona brought in about $21 million in medical and adult-use marijuana tax revenue in July, state officials recently reported on a new webpage that enables people to more easily track how the industry is evolving.

California collected about $817 million in adult-use marijuana tax revenue during the 2020-2021 fiscal year, state officials estimated last week. That’s 55 percent more cannabis earnings for state coffers than was generated in the prior fiscal year.

A recent scientific analysis of sales data in Alaska, Colorado, Oregon and Washington State found that marijuana purchases “have increased more during the COVID-19 pandemic than in the previous two years.”

In July alone, at least three states saw record-breaking sales for recreational cannabis. The same goes for Missouri’s medical marijuana program.

Illinois saw nearly $128 million in recreational cannabis purchases in July—more than double the total monthly sales from a year ago. July marks the fifth consecutive month that sales in Illinois’s adult-use market have topped $100 million. If the trend continues, the state is on track to see more than $1 billion in adult-use marijuana sales in 2021.

Adult-use marijuana sales in Maine reached $9.4 million in July—a 45 percent increase from the prior month’s record.

Michigan marijuana sales broke another record in July with more than $171 million in cannabis transactions, according to data from the state’s regulatory body. There were $128 million in adult-use sales and $43 million in medical cannabis purchases.

Throughout the pandemic, many states allowed cannabis retailers to remain open—with governors and regulators in several markets declaring marijuana businesses to be essential services—and some jurisdictions issued emergency rules allowing curbside pickup, delivery services or other more relaxed policies in order to facilitate social distancing.

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