Four US States Report Record Highs in Cannabis Sales for July
July 2021 saw the marijuana industry in the US make record-breaking sales in at least four states. Illinois, Maine, Michigan, and Missouri all topped their existing sales records. The ongoing maturing of marijuana markets, coupled with increasing online presence, has helped to boost sales even during a pandemic.
Approximately $128 million recreational cannabis sales were made in Illinois in July: more than double the July sales in 2020. According to the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, in-state residents bought $85 million in marijuana, while out-of-state visitors accounted for $42 million in sales. The high sales trend for July doesn’t appear to be an outlier, either. July is the fifth consecutive month that sales in Illinois’s adult-use market have reached more than $100 million. If the current trend continues, Illinois will see more than $1 billion in adult-use marijuana sales in 2021.
Adult-use sales in Maine hit $9.4 million in July—a 45 percent increase from the prior month’s record. Retail of recreational cannabis began in October 2020, with sales climbing steadily each month. Maine’s business owners cited the Fourth of July holiday and tourism as key factors contributing to high July sales.
Marijuana sales in Michigan for both medical and recreational totaled more than $171 million in July. Adult-use sales were almost three times as high as medical cannabis purchases and increased $21 million from recreational cannabis purchases in June. Medical cannabis purchases increased $1 million from June to July.
July saw cannabis sales in Missouri exceed $20 million for the first time. Experts attribute the high sales to new dispensaries and increasing patient enrollment in the state’s medical marijuana program. Recreational use is still illegal in Missouri but may appear on the state’s 2022 ballot.
An analysis of general cannabis consumption trends across the US suggests that marijuana sales have increased more during the pandemic than over the preceding two years. Stay-at-home orders have also been linked to a general increase in cannabis sales.
