Total cannabis sales in Illinois surpassed $1 billion for the second consecutive year.
But it happened faster this year.
Illinois’ marijuana industry reached the $1 billion sales mark on July 10 last year but hit that threshold this year on July 1, according to a news release from the office of Gov. JB Pritzker.
The 2024 total includes more than $850 million in adult-use sales and almost $150 million in medical marijuana sales.
The release also noted that for Illinois’ fiscal year 2024 (July 1, 2023- June 30, 2024), cannabis sales exceeded $2 billion, up from $1.9 billion in fiscal year 2023 and $1.8 billion in fiscal year 2022.
Statistics from the Cannabis Regulation Oversight Office show that 81% of the purchases in the first six months of 2024 were made by Illinois residents; the rest were made by out-of-staters.
Flower comprised 49% of all marijuana sales, vapes 32% and edibles 22%.
While adult-use retail sales handily beat those for medical marijuana, wholesale MMJ sales outpaced recreational sales from March 2022 to February 2024.
There are 218 licensed marijuana retailers currently operating in Illinois, according to the release from Pritzker’s office.
But more retail licenses will be issued to conditional licensees that were chosen in 2022 and 2023 lotteries once they “meet the requirements for full licensure.”
“More and more cannabis businesses opening their doors means more and more unique products for consumers to choose from,” Erin Johnson, who leads the Cannabis Regulation Oversight Office, said in a statement.
