The governor of Illinois is touting the state's record-setting $2 billion in marijuana sales in 2024, applauding the "thriving" industry while criticizing the "proliferation of the unregulated intoxicating hemp market."
Of the $2 billion, a record $1.722 billion came from adult-use cannabis sales. That's more than double the first year of sales following the market launch in 2020. And last year's total translated into over $490 million in marijuana tax revenue for the state.
"The numbers are clear: five years after we legalized adult use cannabis in Illinois, we're seeing the economic impact of a thriving cannabis industry," Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) said on Thursday.
He added that "our first-in-the-nation equity-focused cannabis industry is the result of my administration's policies, which prioritized repairing the damage done by the failed War on Drugs, creating more good-paying jobs, and building a safe, equitable, and prosperous business sector—making Illinois by far the national leader in diverse ownership for this industry."
Read more at Marijuana Moment