Dispensaries in Illinois recorded $801,000 in medical cannabis sales since the program launched in early November, according to the first official figures released by the state.
Illinois now has 16 licensed dispensaries, although only about half are open. Those dispensaries served 1,713 unique patients between Nov. 9, when the program officially launched, and Dec. 8. So far, about 3,600 patients have been approved for the program.
Chicago’s first dispensary, Dispensary 33, opened its doors Wednesday December 9.
In January, the state will also start accepting petitions from patients to add other qualifying conditions and diseases to the state’s list of approved conditions.
The sales figures suggest that the retail price of medical cannabis averaged about $14 to $15 per gram, the Associated Press reported. The figures also indicate that Illinois earned around $57,000 in taxes from medical marijuana, based on the 7% tax that marijuana wholesalers pay to the state.
