Montana, the latest state to launch its adult-use cannabis program, saw more than $1.5 million worth of cannabis sales during the program’s first two days, KTVH reports.
Dispensaries officially opened to anyone 21 or older last Saturday, January 1, and combined cannabis sales from the state’s approximately 380 dispensaries reached $1,566,980 over the weekend, according to Montana Department of Revenue numbers outlined in the report.
NORML Deputy Director Paul Armentano lauded the market launch in a press release:
“Adults in Montana voted to regulate the retail marijuana marketplace so that these transactions can be above-ground and transparent, and so that consumers can have access to lab-tested, quality-controlled products. Such a system is certainly preferable to the status quo of marijuana prohibition, which is why no state to enact legalization has ever moved to repeal these policies.” — Armentano, in a statement
Montana voters approved the state’s cannabis legalization plan in November 2020. Voters had approved two initiatives at the time: one to legalize the possession, use, and home cultivation of cannabis — which took effect one year ago on January 1, 2020 — and the other to legalize the state’s adult-use cannabis marketplace exactly one year later.
Under state law, public cannabis use remains punishable by a civil fine. Customers can purchase up to one ounce of cannabis at a time from dispensaries, or the THC equivalent via other products including up to 800 milligrams of edibles or eight grams of concentrate. Cannabis sales are subject to a 20 percent tax.
18 states plus the District of Columbia now allow for the adult use and possession of cannabis products.
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