“In two of the last three months, the recreational market reported totals tripled those on the medical side.”
By David Abbott, Arizona Mirror
Arizona’s recreational marijuana sales reached $100 million in March, the first time they have done so since the sales began. The medical market has maintained a fragile equilibrium at around $30 million per month.
In two of the last three months, the recreational market reported higher totals than the medical side.
Arizona Department of Revenue reports that recreational sales in April reached almost $86.5 million. Sales in March were just short of $101 millions. This is the first time the market has reached nine figures since recreational sales began in January 2021.
In March 2021, medical sales were just over $73 million while recreational sales reached $59 million.
Since then, cannabis sales in total have exceeded $100 million each month. This is the first time that a single segment of the cannabis market has topped $100 million.
The recreational sales between December 2022 and February 2023 are $93.4, $91.3, and $84.5 millions respectively.
Since reaching a high of $73.3 millions in April 2021, medical sales have consistently declined – at times abruptly.
In July 2021, medical cannabis sales dropped below $40 million. Since September 2022 they fluctuate between approximately $33 million to $28.6 millions in February 2023. This is the lowest monthly sales since ADOR started reporting the sales totals.
In April, medical marijuana sales reached $30.3 million.
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In October 2021, adult-use sales of $65,8 million and medical sale of $64.4 million were equal.
The total tax collected for the two programs in April was $24.8 millions.
Medical patients pay a state sales tax of approximately six percent. Local jurisdictions charge about two percent more for all marijuana sales.
In 2023, the excise tax collected on marijuana for adult use has generated $154.6 million. In 2021, sales of recreational cannabis in a new market generated $32.9 million in 11 months. By 2022, that figure grew to $132.8 millions. Since the program’s launch, the state has collected over $320 million in marijuana taxes.
One third of these taxes is dedicated to community colleges and provisional district community colleges; 31 percent goes to public safety including police, fire department, fire districts, and first responders, 25 percent goes to the Arizona Highway User Revenue Fund, and 10 percent goes to the Justice Reinvestment Fund, which provides public health services, counseling and job training for communities who have been negatively affected by marijuana arrests.
The Arizona Department of Health Services (which oversees the cannabis regulation in Arizona) releases monthly reports about the medical program, usually a month before ADOR’s annual tax reports.
According to the ADHS, there are 127,288 cardholders who qualify for the program as of May. This is roughly equal to what there was in April.
ADHS reported 299,054 patients in January 2021. This number is decreasing month by month.
Arizona medical cannabis users have bought 27,993 pounds in different forms of marijuana through May. Total for May was 5 635 lbs.
Arizona Mirror was the first to publish this story.
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The article Arizona Monthly Recreational Marijuana Sale Exceeds $100 Million for First Time in State Data first appeared on Marijuana Moment.
