Illinois Cannabis Sales Peak Record High In August

On Tuesday, Illinois released its data on cannabis sales for the month of August.

Adding together medical and adult-use sales, the Prairie State reached a record high of over $95 million in legal cannabis retail.

"We are not surprised to see another record month for adult-use cannabis sales in August, with total industry sales approaching $100 million — well-exceeding $1 billion of legal cannabis sales on an annualized basis,” said Linda Marsicano VP of Corporate Communications at Green Thumb Industries GTII GTBIF.

Green Thumb has eight stores and two manufacturing facilities in the state.

Marsicano continued to say that consumer demand remains strong throughout the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. The company expects industry growth to continue as operators ramp up capacity to increase supply, new stores open throughout the state and existing stores add adult-use sales.  

Recreational Sales

Adult-use sales amounted to a total of $63.9 million before taxes. This marks a record for Illinois, surpassing July sales by over $3 million.

Of the total, 73% of buyers were in-state residents while 27% were out-of-state visitors.

Sales for adult-use cannabis have been rising consistently on a monthly basis since February, when numbers were almost half of what they are today, at $34 million.

Since recreational cannabis was made available in Illinois at the start of 2020, dispensaries in the state have sold more than $360 million according to the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation.

Medical Sales

Sales of medical cannabis for August in Illinois totaled $31.5 million.

Licensed medical cannabis dispensaries served 63,168 unique patients, according to the  Illinois Department of Public Health.

48% of sales represented dried flower, while 52% came from concentrates and infused products.

The medical cannabis system in Illinois encompasses 55 licensed dispensaries and has sold over $235.7 million since the start of 2020.

Photo by Antonio Gabola on Unsplash