Last year, Illinois adult-use cannabis retailers didn’t eclipse the $1-billion benchmark until October. This year, they surpassed that sales total in August.
Recording more than $129 million last month, licensed dispensary operators have sold $1,015,700,115.70 worth of adult-use cannabis so far this year, according to the state’s Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR). That 2022 figure represents a 16% increase from the $875 million Illinois retailers sold through August of last year.
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While the state industry is experiencing year-over-year growth, the retail market has leveled off during the past six months, peaking at $135.7 million in July, before experiencing a 4.6% decrease in August.
But that July-to-August decrease was expected based on previous year trends as well as the calendar makeup for July 2022, which included five Fridays and five Saturdays—the two biggest sales days of the week for cannabis retail.
Out-of-state sales, which accounted for more than $41 million in August, held steady at roughly 32% of the state’s retail market last month.
Below are month-by-month sales figures for 2022:
| Month | Items Sold | 2022 Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Jan. | 2,645,046 | $117,251,759.72 |
| Feb. | 2,586,830 | $113,993,046.04 |
| March | 3,007,699 | $130,960,120.66 |
| April | 3,102,233 | $131,782,657.26 |
| May | 3,044,806 | $129,804,017.72 |
| June | 3,023,145 | $126,808,907.02 |
| July | 3,251,062 | $135,658,291.46 |
| Aug. | 3,063,423 | $129,441,315.80 |
| Total | 23,724,244 | $1,015,700,115.70 |
