July cannabis sales in Illinois hit $61 million, which is up from $47.6 million in June and $44.3 million in May.

And, as long as we're talking numbers here, marijuana sales in Illinois have totaled more than $300 million since the start of the year, with July having the most sales of any month, according to the folks who tally up the numbers at the Illinois Department of Finance and Professional Regulation and New Frontier Data.

Having never visited a marijuana dispensary, I was somewhat surprised to learn that regulators think one of the reasons for the uptick in sales is that many dispensaries went to an "online ordering" format to cut down on the amount of people standing in line.

I'm told that's what's happening here in Rockford, despite the fact that when I drive by Sunnyside Cannabis Dispensary at 2696 McFarland Road, I still see some large groups of people waiting in line.

Another reason for a more robust sales month in July might be that people are spending more per visit than they did at the first of the year when recreational weed became legal. At that time, the first 3 months of the year, the average customer was dropping about $126.00. In April, May, and June, that number went up to $150.00.

Some people have a different reason for an increase in spending on marijuana, NBC-5 Chicago:

Katie Johnston-Smith, 33, who was feeling “a good, healthy amount of panic” at the beginning of the pandemic, has started using marijuana a few times a week compared to a couple times a month.

Experts say she is not the only one. Many people have chosen marijuana as a way to decrease anxiety brought on by the pandemic.

“It was pretty nice because it did help me mellow out,” Johnston-Smith said. “I was like, ‘Oh, this is way better than mellowing out with a glass of wine.‘”

 

 

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