John Schroyer
Illinois marijuana dispensaries have set a new bar for the year after topping $140 million in sales for July, according to state figures. The only other time the Illinois cannabis market sold that much in a single month was December last year, when sales passed $143 million.
But after that record-breaking month, sales toppled in January and February before rebounding in March and finally surging over the summer, according to data from the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. The Illinois market has had a tougher time competing ever since Missouri launched its recreational marijuana market in February.
But in July, sales were up almost $5 million from a year prior, when Illinois retailers sold $135.6 million, and increased almost $4 million from June this year, when sales hit $136.4 million.
For the entire calendar year so far, the Illinois marijuana market has sold $924.4 million.
In July, in-state residents accounted for the vast majority of sales, with $104.2 million, while out-of-state visitors bought $35.7 million in cannabis. The total number of products sold was 3.5 million.
The adult use market launched in January of 2020. Medical marijuana sales, which reached $27 million in June, are tracked by a different state agency, the Illinois Cannabis Regulation Oversight Officer. Medical cannabis sales for July have not yet been released.
