Illinois adult-use marijuana gross sales reached almost $132 million in April, the second highest month-to-month whole for the reason that market launched in 2020 and one other signal that the state’s business is stabilizing following a droop firstly of this yr.
The primary couple of months of 2022 noticed lagging gross sales, however state information on hashish purchases in March and April signifies that the market is on the rebound.
The Illinois Division of Monetary and Skilled Regulation (IDFPR) reported that there have been virtually $91 million in adult-use hashish gross sales from in-state shoppers final month, whereas about $41 million got here from out-of-state guests. A complete of three,102,233 particular person marijuana gadgets have been offered in April.
By way of IDFPR.
The totals don’t embrace medical hashish merchandise, that are reported individually by a special state company.
Whereas Illinois broke its yearly file for hashish gross sales in 2021—with greater than $1.4 billion in hashish offered final yr—marijuana purchases dipped in January and February, following the December 2021 record-high of $137,896,859.
From final yr’s gross sales, Illinois generated virtually $100 million extra in tax income from adult-use marijuana gross sales than from alcohol in 2021, state information discovered. It’s unclear what components could have contributed to the dip firstly of this yr, or the latest rebound. Nonetheless, the unofficial hashish vacation 4/20 takes place in April, which can have pushed up gross sales.
Marijuana purchases additionally ticked up in April 2021 in comparison with the prior month, although the Might information and subsequent months of final yr have been largely larger.
With respect to marijuana tax income, Illinois is utilizing a part of these {dollars} to fund fairness initiatives within the state. For instance, officers introduced in December that purposes have been opening for $45 million in new grants—funded by hashish tax cash—that may help packages meant to reinvest in communities most harmed by the drug struggle.
That marked the second spherical of funding to be issued by way of the state’s Restore, Reinvest, and Renew (R3) program, which was established underneath Illinois’s adult-use hashish legalization coverage. The regulation requires 25 % of marijuana tax {dollars} to be put in that fund and used to offer deprived folks with companies corresponding to authorized assist, youth improvement, group reentry and monetary help.
Organizations that acquired grants by way of the preliminary R3 spherical may have their funding renewed for one more yr to make sure that they’ll proceed offering companies of their communities.
Final yr, in July, state officers put $3.5 million in cannabis-generated funds towards efforts to scale back violence by way of road intervention packages.
Along with offering such funding, Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) introduced in 2020 that his workplace had processed greater than 500,000 expungements and pardons for folks with low-level hashish convictions on their data.
A state-funded initiative was additionally just lately established to assist residents with marijuana convictions get authorized assist and different companies to have their data expunged.
It’s most of these initiatives that Toi Hutchinson just lately informed Marijuana Second that she’s most happy with as she transitioned from being Pritzker’s hashish advisor to the president of the nationwide advocacy group, the Marijuana Coverage Undertaking (MPP).
Outdoors of Illinois, adult-use marijuana gross sales launched in New Jersey final month, and the state noticed virtually $2 million in purchases on the primary day that retailers opened.
Colorado marijuana gross sales have been lagging thus far in 2022, state information reveals.
Officers in Michigan introduced in March that they are going to be distributing almost $150 million in marijuana tax income, divided between localities, public faculties and a transportation fund.
Massachusetts is amassing extra tax income from marijuana than alcohol, state information launched in January reveals. As of December 2021, the state took in $51.3 million from alcohol taxes and $74.2 million from hashish on the midway level of the fiscal yr.
Arizona generated extra tax income to the state common fund from authorized marijuana gross sales than from tobacco and alcohol mixed in March, the state reported.
Altogether, states which have legalized marijuana for grownup use collectively generated greater than $3.7 billion in tax income from leisure hashish gross sales in 2021, in accordance with a report from MPP.
Again in Illinois, lawmakers just lately despatched a invoice to the governor that may make it so courts can not deny petitions to expunge or seal data primarily based on a constructive drug check for marijuana.
Nonetheless, a separate Home-passed invoice regarding office protections for workers who use hashish off-the-job stalled within the Senate earlier than the chamber adjourned for the session.