More Legal Cannabis Sold in Washington than Colorado in August
For the first time legal cannabis sales in Washington State have surpassed those in Colorado.
According to new data released by the Colorado Department of Revenue, there was roughly $126 million in legal cannabis sold in the month of August. Although this is a record for the most amount of legal cannabis ever sold in Colorado in a single month (by comparison there was roughly $100 million sold last August), there was more sold during the same period in Washington State.
In August, there was $130 million in legal cannabis sold in Washington State, which remains the highest amount of legal cannabis sold in a given month in U.S. history.
Up until this point, cannabis sales have been higher in Colorado, due in large part to the fact that sales started months earlier, and the state allowed medical cannabis dispensaries to be involved in the recreational cannabis market. In Washington State, however, medical cannabis dispensaries not licensed by the Liquor and Cannabis Board were shut down, leaving patients to rely on cannabis retail outlets or the black-market; since many have chosen the former, sales have climbed rapidly.
In Both Colorado and Washington the possession, use and licensed distribution of up to an ounce of cannabis is legal for those 21 and older; in Colorado it’s also legal to cultivate up to six cannabis plants for personal use.