In the first year of legal cannabis sales, Massachusetts’s retailers brought in a total of $393.7 million in gross revenue, according to new numbers from the state. The state’s Cannabis Control Commission (CCC) noted the first year also helped establish benchmarks that will enable the Commonwealth to measure its progress toward strengthening a safe, effective and equitable legal cannabis industry.
For comparison, Colorado’s first year of legal cannabis sales in 2014 clocked in at a value of about $684 million, despite the fact that Colorado has about 1 million less residents than Massachusetts. However, state representatives were still positive about the numbers.
“Cannabis retailers and consumers should be commended for participating in an extremely smooth rollout of the legal adult-use cannabis industry in Massachusetts for the first year,” Commission Chairman Steven J. Hoffman said in a statement. “Hundreds of millions of dollars in sales are one measure of success, but I am even prouder of the way in which cannabis establishments have worked with the commission to gain and preserve compliance with our regulations and patrons continue to inform themselves about the law and their responsibilities when they visit Massachusetts stores.”
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