Arkansas retailers recorded over $22.4 million in medical cannabis sales for May, averaging roughly $724,200 spent daily across 38 dispensaries.
Scott Hardin, a spokesperson for the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration (DFA), told News 5 that May sales were lower than April, which brought in $24 million.
"Although sales in May were slightly lower than April, the state surpassed a significant milestone as more than 100,000 pounds of medical marijuana have been sold since the first dispensary opened in May 2019," Hardin said, adding that patients collectively purchased 3,917 pounds of cannabis in May alone, bringing the total number of pounds purchased since 2019 to 102,710.
The total number of pounds sold in May also decreased compared to April, which recorded 4,213 pounds. State tax collection on medical cannabis sales also dipped slightly from nearly $3 million in April to $2.7 million in May; however, May's number is up from March, which banked $2.4 million in medical cannabis sales tax, according to the news outlet. The 4/20 holiday was one factor that may have attributed to the medical cannabis sales increase in April.
Despite May’s slight dip, Hardin told the news outlet that if Arkansas' medical cannabis sales continue at this pace, they will be comparable to 2021 sales, "which totaled $264 million at the end of the year."
