More than $1 million worth of legal pot was sold across the state every day in January, according to figures released Monday by the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation.
All told, $39.2 million was spent on marijuana during the first month of legal use in the state. Of that, $30.6 million was spent by Illinois residents, according to the department.
State officials say nearly 975,000 products were bought at dispensaries during that time.
“The successful launch of the Illinois’ legal cannabis industry represents new opportunities for entrepreneurs and the very communities that have historically been harmed by the failed war on drugs,” said Toi Hutchinson, senior adviser for cannabis control to Gov. J.B. Pritzker.
The pace of sales slowed substantially from the first days of legalization. On Jan. 1, $3.2 million worth of pot products sold. By the end of the first five days of sales, total sales hit $10.8 million, or more than $2 million per day.
Since that time, customers and dispensaries have complained of a shortage of products available, especially marijuana flower, the dried buds that users smoke. Those products are the most popular with both medical and recreational users, said some store owners, who were forced to reserve flower for patients, as required by law.
However, even residents with medical cards have said they are having trouble getting the products they need.
It could take months or longer for the supply to catch up with demand, as only 21 cultivators have been approved to grow and produce marijuana products, experts said.
The figures were announced a few days after a cannabis resource fair was held in Chicago to provide information to those interested in working in the legal marijuana industry.
