Sales of adult-use cannabis products in Illinois rose over 20 percent in July to reach a record high, according to data provided by the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation.
The agency reported just under $61 million in retail adult-use cannabis sales for the month of July, up 22 percent from June and an increase of 36 percent since January – when legal sales began in the state. (Sales of medical cannabis products were not calculated in the tallies.)
The state’s rising sales totals are consistent with data from other states, like Colorado and Oregon, which have similarly reported record high revenue from the sales of marijuana products in recent months. According to a recent economic analysis by New Frontier Data, “One unanticipated effect of the COVID-19 pandemic has been the growth acceleration of legal cannabis markets (and erosion of the illicit markets) in those states which have activated both medical and adult-use sales.”
Illinois is among dozens of states that designated marijuana retailers as “essential” businesses during the pandemic — allowing them to provide uninterrupted, and in some cases, expanded services during the COVID-19 outbreak.
Additional information is available from the NORML Fact Sheet, “Marijuana Regulation: Impact on Health, Safety, and Economy.”
