Medical marijuana shops post huge gains during final quarter of 2013
Colorado’s medical marijuana shops posted huge gains in the last quarter as purchases of medical pot were up 47 percent.
The jump in medical marijuana sales was led by Denver, which is home to nearly half the state’s dispensaries.
Stores in the city reported $52 million in pot purchases in the first quarter of fiscal year 2013-14, up 53 percent from last fiscal year.
Michael Elliott with the Medical Marijuana Industry Group credits legalization of recreational marijuana and the broader acceptance of the drug.
"And I think that a lot of people are just feeling a lot more comfortable being a part of this program now," Elliott said.
The number of medical marijuana patients, however, didn’t increase significantly as more than 110,000 patients are eligable to buy marijuana from Colorado's more than 500 dispensaries.
Some dispensary owners that CPR interviewed said medical marijuana patients may have been buying for non-patients since recreational shops didn’t open to until last month.
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