numbers

Depending upon your outlook, that headline may anger, disappoint, and/or depress you; or you may feel like Samuel Johnson felt in April of 1775 when he said "Patriotism is the last refuge of the scoundrel."

It's not just a couple of million dollars more, either. The Illinois Department of Revenue says that sales of recreational weed has produced nearly $121 million in tax revenue for Illinois, compared to about $99 million for wine, beer, and/or spirits.

Illinois’ unemployment rate is still lagging behind the rest of the nation and is the highest of all Midwestern states at 7.1%, leaving 436,400 Illinoisans looking for work, according to analysis by the Illinois Policy Institute.

The dollars coming in to the state from Illinois residents buying legal recreational marijuana continue to rise month-over-month, and sales to those across state borders are really jumping.

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

In addition to leading the Midwest in outbound migration (people leaving the state), Illinois trails all of our neighbors in getting people back on the job.

According to the Illinois Restaurant Association, nearly 5,200 restaurants will go out of business in the coming months because of COVID-19.

Our state's first full month of lockdown resulted in more recreational marijuana sales than we had in February and March, when we were free to move around.

$34.8 million is less than the $39.2 million in January sales, but analysts say that Illinois' recreational marijuana market holds promise for continued growth.

If your experience is anything like mine, it probably feels to you that about half those calls went directly to your phone number.