Massachusetts Sees $24M in Legal Cannabis Sales in First 2 months

The Associated PressLast updated July 28, 2020

veteran Stephen Mandile at Cultivate in Leicester

Stephen Mandile, right, an Iraq War veteran from Uxbridge, Mass., is the first to purchase recreational marijuana at the Cultivate dispensary on the first day of legal sales, Tuesday, Nov. 20, 2018, in Leicester, Mass. Cultivate is one of the first two shops permitted to sell recreational marijuana in the eastern United States, more than two years after Massachusetts voters approved it in 2016. (Steven Senne/AP)

BOSTON (AP) — Cannabis retailers in Massachusetts have racked up nearly $24 million in sales since the first stores opened two months ago.

That’s according to the Cannabis Control Commission, the state’s marijuana regulatory agency.

The first retail stores in Massachusetts — and anywhere on the U.S. East Coast — began operations Nov. 20 in Northampton and Leicester. Several others have opened since.

The commission reported aggregate gross sales of $23.8 million through Jan. 20, including $3.4 million in the most recent week.

Since officials did not make forecasts for early recreational marijuana sales, there’s no clear way to measure whether stores are exceeding or falling below expectations.

Adult-use is taxed at 17 percent by the state, with an additional 3 percent local tax.