2024 marijuana sales reach $1 billion in Illinois

CHICAGO, Ill. (WCIA) – As of July 1, Illinois has reached the $1 billion mark in marijuana sales for 2024, Governor JB Pritzker announced Wednesday.

218 dispensaries are currently licensed in Illinois. The six-month sales total includes more than $850 million in adult use and nearly $150 million in medical sales. The $1 billion milestone was hit almost two weeks earlier this year than last year, when it was reached on July 10.

“Illinois has the most equitable cannabis industry in the country and it’s growing and thriving,” Pritzker said. “The increase in total adult-use cannabis sales, combined with the policies my administration is implementing to support communities ravaged by the War on Drugs, highlights how this emerging industry is helping us set a national standard in equity and economic justice. Growing sales in 2024 means cannabis tax revenue will continue to play a major role in righting decades of wrongs in the state’s criminal justice system.”

State officials say that more than $244 million in tax revenue from marijuana sales has gone to economic development, violence prevention, and youth development grants for communities in need. The money has also allowed the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) to establish the Illinois Cannabis Social Equity Loan Program, which gives opportunities to work in the legal marijuana industry to those most impacted by marijuana-related offenses.

“It is imperative barriers are removed to ensure workforces and industries reflect the diversity of the population who calls Illinois home,” said Mario Treto, Jr., Secretary of the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. “We are already seeing the results of our efforts to accomplish this, and I am excited to see what the future holds for the cannabis industry across Illinois.”

$22 million in forgivable loans have also been given to social equity craft growers, transporters, and infusers, officials said.

“More and more cannabis businesses opening their doors means more and more unique products for consumers to choose from,” said Erin Johnson, Cannabis Regulation Oversight Officer. “We welcome these new opportunities for ownership and employment to help support individuals and communities across the state in undoing the harms from the War on Drugs.”

The Cannabis Regulation Oversight Office found that through the first six months of 2024, Illinoisans made 81% of marijuana sales in the state, and consumers from out-of-state made 19%. Nearly half of those purchases were cannabis flowers, followed by 32% being vape purchases, and 22% being edibles. Liquid edibles sat at 1.1.% of sales.

Marijuana sales only continue to grow. State officials said they exceeded $2 billion in Fiscal Year 2024, up from 2023’s $1.9 billion and 2022’s $1.8 billion. For a month-by-month breakdown, click here .

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