Delaware's new recreational marijuana market is off to a slower start than expected, with stores ringing up $29.3 million in sales in the seven months since the industry launched, state statistics provided to WHYY News show.
That's generated about $4.4 million in tax revenue for the state, based on the state's 15% tax on cannabis sales. The figures fall far short of what the state's former marijuana commissioner estimated in 2023 after lawmakers legalized cannabis for adults over 21 and created the framework for the regulated market.
Delaware is averaging $4.2 million a month in retail sales over seven months. Projected over a full year, that would amount to a little more than $50 million in sales and $7.5 million in tax revenue.
Delaware's first marijuana commissioner, Robert Coupe, had predicted in 2023, however, that the state would have $281 million in annual sales that would generate $42 million in taxes.
Read more on WHYY
