Colorado Cultivators Grew 24% More Cannabis in 2020

Colorado cultivators grew 1.8 million pounds of cannabis last year, a 24% increase from 2019, according to Colorado Department of Revenue (CDOR) data outlined by Center Square. More than 72% of the total cannabis produced in the state went to the adult-use market.

Total cannabis sales in Colorado reached $2.19 billion last year—up from $1.79 billion in 2019, the report says.

The average seed-to-sale time for Colorado producers was 126 days, a decrease of six total days since 2017, according to CDOR data. In all cultivators used more than 3.7 million plants to reach 1.8 million pounds.

In 2020, the total number of adult-use industry licenses increased by 1.7% to 2,727 total businesses, while the number of medical cannabis business licenses decreased from 1,141 in January to 1,113 by the end of the year, according to CDOR data. The adult-use market also accounted for more than 85% of concentrates sold, 87% of the non-edible infused products sold, and 89% of the edibles sold, state data showed.

In June, Gov. Jared Polis (D) signed a bill curtailing how much cannabis concentrates medical cannabis patients could purchase per day from 40 grams to eight. While that law was not in effect last year, it will likely lead to the adult-use sales accounting for even more of the share of concentrates sold through the adult-use market going forward.