Illinois Sees March Increase in Cannabis Sales

In just a month, Illinois dispensaries have seen an increase in medical marijuana sales by over $5.2 million while adult-use sales are up by over $1.1 million.  As the deadly CoronaVirus forced people to stay at home, cannabis customers in the state stocked up on both medical and recreational cannabis and other edibles before the “shelter at place” policy was issued. 

Illinois Dispensaries See Sales Increase

Most of the traffic dispensaries in Illinois experienced in March went to Jushi Holdings’ stores that go under the brand name The Green Solution. While speaking to local press about this unprecedented increase in sales, Vice President of Jushi Holdings, Michael Perlman had this to say; “for the first three weeks of the month of March, we experienced a 70% increase in sales”. 

Perlman revealed that while Jushi’s other store in Sauget was opened for adult-use in the first week of the month, they still experienced an increase in sales and demand over the course of the next three weeks. They hope that sales will continue to soar for 4/20 as many people will receive their stimulus check prior to the annual cannabis holiday.

March Sales Report from IDFPR 

According to a press release from the IDFPR (Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation), adult-use cannabis sales for March alone totaled $36 million. The press release went on to reveal that sales to state residents totaled $27 million, while sales to out-of-state residents totaled nearly $9 million. However, these figures were not including the taxes collected. A portion of every cannabis sale will be reinvested in communities that were disproportionately targeted during the war on drugs.

Medical cannabis stores, on the other hand, experienced an increase from its February sale of $24.8 million to $30 million in March.  According to various sources, this increase in sales from that of February came before the March 21 stay-at-home order issued by Governor JB Pritzker. While these cannabis dispensaries are allowed to operate, they must adhere to social distancing rules and also encourage their customers and patients to do the same. 

Toi Hutchinson, Senior Advisor for Cannabis Control to Gov. Pritzker explained that, “Three straight months of consistent adult use cannabis sales show there is – and will continue to be – strong support and demand from consumers. To ensure medical users are able to access they product they need during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, curbside pickup will remain an option for medical patients through April 30th.”