Illinois Cannabis Sales to Non-Residents Booming

Illinois cannabis sales to out-of-state residents have nearly doubled since sales began in January from $8.6 million to $17.2 million in August, the Center Square reports. Under state law, non-Illinoisans can purchase 15 grams of flower per dispensary visit while residents can purchase up to 30 grams.

Sales in the state seem to set new records every month climbing from $44.3 million in May to $47.6 million in June, $61 million in July, and $64 million in August. The state sold $39.2 million in cannabis during January and $30.6 million of those sales were to in-state residents, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.

Sales in the state remained strong at the height of the coronavirus pandemic, reaching $37.3 million in April; just $7.6 million of April’s sales were to out-of-staters.

Brandon Costerison, with the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse, told Center Square that substance use has increased across the board during the pandemic. He said “it makes sense” that cannabis sales among out-of-state residents were on the rise in Illinois which he described as “kind of an island” in the region. Michigan is the only other Midwestern state with legal cannabis access for adults.

Through August, Illinois cannabis sales have topped $600 million. The state had collected nearly $52.8 million in taxes derived from the industry from January to July. The governor’s office had predicted $28 million in state revenues from the first year of sales.