Once the holiday season has passed, there is an expectation
that retail sales will dip, regardless of what is being sold. That belief has
once again proven to be true in Colorado, where marijuana sales have dropped a
little after what was a record-breaking month in December. The January sales
figures were just recently released, and both recreation and medical marijuana
sales took a little drop over the previous month, which was what industry
experts pretty much expected. All of that said, the sales figures for January
are still on the brink of being staggering, and prove that marijuana is more
than just a passing fad.
All told, marijuana dispensaries in Colorado tallied $88
million in sales in the month of January. Those sales figures include weed, as
well as vaporizers and other
accessories. That number includes $56.5 million in recreational marijuana
related sales, and a further $32 million in medical goods. Overall, there was a
9% sales dip from the previous month of December 2015, but it has to be remembered
that you likely had a situation where gifts, such as vape pens, were purchased in greater numbers, and that a number of
regular users were probably stocking up on their supplies for the holiday
period. Vaporizers and other accessories account for about 3% of all the money
earned.
With those types of numbers now becoming commonplace, there
are a lot of people who are benefitting from the money being pulled in. The
legalization of marijuana was largely sold as being a major tax boost for the
state, and it is certainly living up to that billing. During the phase when
pro-marijuana groups were pushing for legalization, a major part of the promise
to taxpayers was that the first $40 million in excise taxes collected from
marijuana sales would go towards school construction. It now looks increasingly
likely that the multi-million-dollar promise is going to be delivered at some
point this year, assuming that sales continue at their current rate.
Since marijuana sales were legalized in Colorado, the sales
figures have climbed at a rather steady pace, which is why there is confidence
that the $40 million will be hit later this year. The first full years of sales
in 2014 saw marijuana sales hit the $699 million mark, with that number growing
to $996 million in 2015. It is not just marijuana itself that is driving these
figures, as vape pens and other mobile vaping devices are now the first choice
for many marijuana users.
