Colorado cannabis sales are climbing. The state that first legalized the recreational marijuana industry is still seeing growth, even with heightened competition and a new federal government keen on meddling in canna-business.
A new report from the state’s Department of Health says that Colorado’s recreational and medical dispensaries sold a combined $126.1 million worth of cannabis in February 2017. According to The Cannabist, that makes the month after Trump’s inauguration the third most profitable since legal weed sales began in 2014.
The February numbers represent a 15% jump from January 2017’s $109 million in sales, and while there hasn’t been a survey of consumers to get to the bottom of the jump, we’re going to guess that seeing Trump’s first week led to a whole lot of mind-altering purchases.
In addition to a possible reaction to Trump’s presidency, February was also the month that the new administration first mentioned a possible federal cannabis crackdown. And while that may have scared some consumers away, it may also have influenced some Colorado residents to stock up for fear that their beloved pot shops would soon be disappearing.
Whatever the cause, Colorado collected about $17.5 million dollars in tax revenue from the cannabis sales from February alone, and experts predict that the growth could continue, at least for this year – February was the ninth consecutive month that Colorado cannabis sales topped $100 million.
So while Sessions, Spicer and the rest of the Trump gang continue to threaten the country’s recreational cannabis industry, Colorado’s residents, businesses and tax collectors are showing just how beneficial a regulated market can be – to the tune of $126 million, that is.
