Illinois’ medical marijuana market (MMJ) is posting record month-to-month increases across a number of categories, overcoming an initial slow start and building on recent gains, new state data show.
According to the Illinois Department of Health:
- The state’s 49 medical marijuana dispensaries saw a total of more than $36 million in retail sales for 2016.
- For the same year, cultivation centers amassed total wholesale sales of $21.9 million.
- For the month of December alone, MMJ dispensaries sold a total of $5.3 million in product, including $3.05 million in flower and $2.3 million in concentrates and infused products, the highest month-to-month dollar increase to date.
- The number of unique patients served increased dramatically in December to 9,698, a gain of 2,391 patients, or 33%, from the previous month. Patients purchased 261,656 grams of dry cannabis.
- The Illinois Department of Public Health has approved applications for nearly 15,000 patients since it started taking applications in 2014, up 12% from November, the highest increase to date.
Illinois’ MMJ program was signed into law in 2013.
The market got off to a slow start. Licensing delays and a restrictive list of qualifying MMJ conditions had many industry insiders wondering if the state’s MMJ program was even viable.
But more recently it has shown steady, consistent increases throughout the past year. Last summer, a judge ordered PTSD added to the conditions list for MMJ patients, which could account for some of the increase in sales.