It’s been three-and-a-half months since the start of recreational cannabis sales in Colorado, but recent stats show that medical marijuana sales still far outpace recreational sales — even with a patient base of fewer than 114,000 people.
Retail sales tax collected in the state in March for retail cannabis sales was about half that collected from medical sales, according to Colorado Department of Revenue data. Medical marijuana sales were somewhere around the $35 million mark, while retail sales totaled about $15 million.
Last month, medical marijuana sales outpaced state projections by more than $400,000, while retail sales failed to hit state estimates by almost $400,000.
According to Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment figures, the number of registered medical marijuana card-holders grew from January to February by almost 2,500 people, topping out at 113,441 patients as of February 28. The total number of new applications was somewhere around 3,471; CDPHE officials say the state hasn’t denied any applications lately, although out of the 1,100 applications they process each month, about 11 percent are rejected for things like errors and corrections.
Included in this year’s patient increase are some 33 additional minors, bringing the total number of children under the age of eighteen on the registry to 248. That number has skyrocketed since February 2013, when there were just 39 minors signed up to access legal medical cannabis with a parent’s permission.
Want more? Head over to the Denver Westword.