Recreational marijuana sales in Illinois totaled nearly $40 million during the first month of the state’s legal retail sales, regulators said this week.
The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation announced Monday that statewide adult-use cannabis sales during the month of January totaled $39,247,840.83.
State-licensed dispensaries sold 972,045 products during the 31-day period, with Illinois residents being responsible for the majority of sales recorded, the agency said.
Illinois residents spent around $30.6 million on recreational marijuana products during the month of January, accounting for roughly 78% of total sales, the agency reported.
Comparatively, out-of-state customers spent more than $8.6 million at Illinois pot shops during that same period, constituting around 22% of total sales, the agency said.
Illinois legalized recreational marijuana and began allowing retail dispensaries to operate effective Jan. 1, making the state the latest in a growing list to defy federal prohibition.
Eleven states and the District of Columbia have legalized the recreational use of marijuana among adults, including nine that allow licensed dispensaries to cater to retail customers.
None of the states bordering Illinois have legalized recreational marijuana, however, which Gov. J. B. Pritzker recently cited during his latest State of the State address.
“It gives us a chance to collect tax revenue from the residents of Wisconsin, Missouri, Iowa and Indiana,” Mr. Pritzker, a Democrat, said last month.
Illinois has estimated it will collect roughly $57 million in related tax revenue during that first year of recreational marijuana sales, NBC Chicago previously reported.
• Andrew Blake can be reached at ablake@washingtontimes.com.
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