Since its legalization in 2016, the Boston adult-use cannabis industry has grown to include hundreds of businesses, thousands of employees, and now roughly $2.3 billion in cannabis sales.
“That’s a pretty phenomenal number and you know, I think on top of the numbers, one of the things I’m proudest of is just how smooth the rollout has been and the growth of this industry,” Cannabis Control Commission Chairman Steven Hoffman said.
In the last three years, the CCC had approved 945 cannabis business licenses, including for 379 retailers, 285 cultivators, and 218 product manufacturers. So far, 176 retail stores have opened their doors, 62 cultivators are growing cannabis, and 55 companies are manufacturing products such as edibles and vaporizer cartridges. Collins said the CCC has also approved licenses for 14 independent testing labs (eight of which have been cleared to begin testing activities), a crucial part of the supply chain since all cannabis sold in Massachusetts must first be tested by such a lab.
There are more than 17,000 active employees in the adult-use cannabis industry and more than 8,800 active employees in the medical cannabis segment, according to the CCC.
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