Medical Cannabis Sales Hit $1.7M in Illinois

The launch of Illinois’ medical marijuana program may not have been smooth, but now that it’s up and running, sales have been brisk.

Between Nov. 9 – when Illinois’ first dispensaries opened – and the end of 2015, medical marijuana sales hit nearly $1.7 million, according to the Associated Press. Grams were sold at between $14 and $15.

Wholesale growers also did well, selling about $1.5 million to retailers, the AP said.

There were 20 operational dispensaries by the end of 2015, and new storefronts seem to be opening quickly.

Windy City Cannabis opened a store Monday in Chicago’s Southland region and plans to open two more by the end of the month, according to the Chicago Tribune. About two hours south in Champaign, one of two planned dispensaries is expected to open in March, according to the local News-Gazette.

The state’s medical cannabis program director, Joseph Wright, told the AP that dispensaries served 2,815 patients in 2015. Through Dec. 2, Illinois’ health department had approved about 3,600 medical marijuana card applications out of almost 4,600 that have been submitted.