Recreational marijuana has finally overtaken medical sales in Colorado, according to the latest tax data from the state.
In July, customers from around the world came to Colorado and purchased $29.7 million worth of pot, a 20 percent increase over the previous month, and a 112 percent jump since January when sales first started. For the year, more than 100 shops statewide have sold nearly $145 million in pot.
Naturally, taxes have grown significantly as well. Since sales began, state officials have collected more than $25 million in recreational pot taxes and fees, with $5 million earmarked for public school construction as per the constitutional amendment that approved non-medical sales.
The medical market, meanwhile, has remained surprisingly stable. Sales have only fallen by 8 percent since recreational sales started, and the medical registry is actually up 2 percent to 113,506 patients.
Taken together, the medical and recreational marijuana industry have sold about $350 million worth of pot since January, contributing $37.5 million in taxes and fees to government coffers.
