Recreational marijuana sales have been legal in Colorado since January 1, 2014. For the first six months, medical marijuana sales were larger than recreational marijuana sales. In some twisted form of irony, that mathematical fact was used by marijuana opponents like Kevin Sabet to indicate that legalized marijuana wasn’t working because people weren’t buying enough. Well, Mr. Sabet, you can feel relief knowing that recreational marijuana sales in Colorado have officially surpassed medical marijuana sales. It’s time for him to pick a new talking point I suppose. Per The Cannabist:
For the first time in Colorado’s legal marijuana market, recreational cannabis outsold medical pot in the month of July, according to numbers released Tuesday by the state’s Department of Revenue.
In July 2014, customers purchased more than $29.7 million in recreational marijuana — up from $24.7 million in June. Medical marijuana patients spent more than $28.9 million on marijuana in July — comparable to June’s $28.6 million in sales.
As you can see from the math, medical marijuana sales have relatively leveled off, while recreational marijuana sales are continuing to grow. This is a trend that I expect to continue. There will still be a need for medical marijuana sales, if for any reason because medical marijuana prices are cheaper in Colorado than recreational marijuana prices. Plus patients can grow medical marijuana in addition to recreational marijuana.
