Cannabis Sales In Connecticut Reflecting A $200 Million Industry

CONNECTICUT — The Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection Thursday announced that new preliminary data shows combined sales for adult-use cannabis and medical marijuana totaled more than $27.5 million for the month of December. That represents the highest single-month total since the opening of the market.

The adult-use market recorded more than $17.1 million in sales during the month of December, while the medical marijuana market recorded more than $10.3 million in sales for the same period, according to the data.

A combined sales total of $274 million has occurred since adult-use sales began on Jan. 10, 2023.

"One year ago, the state of Connecticut opened an entirely new market, creating jobs, opportunity and a safe, regulated way for adults to purchase cannabis," DCP Commissioner Bryan T. Cafferelli said. "This was no small task, and the team at DCP launched this new market in a thoughtful, measured way. Since then, many new businesses have opened and more are on the way. We are proud of the work carried out by our agency over the past year, and we are looking forward to continued growth, fair regulation, collaboration with our sister agencies, and thoughtful problem solving as new challenges present themselves in the years to come."

New businesses have been emerging quickly.

"Our team has worked diligently over the past year to continue reviewing and approving provisional and final license applications, as well as more than 4,600 new brand and product registrations," DCP Drug Control Director Rodrick Marriott said. "The addition of the seed-to-sale tracking program during the market launch has been a valuable resource in evaluating market trends and fluctuations, and as more data is collected, will continue to provide insight into the growth of the industry as we gain year-over-year data."

Since the launch of the market on Jan. 10, 2023, 19 new retail and hybrid retail establishments have opened, as well as one Disproportionately Impacted Area Cultivator and one micro-cultivator, which is an Equity Joint Venture, officials said. Two licensed delivery services have also opened, providing "greater access to patients and consumers," officials said.

An additional 94 provisional licenses have been issued across all license types. Licenses issued prior to July 1, 2023, expire two years after the date they were issued, while licenses issued after July 1, 2023, expire after 14 months.

In December, medical marijuana patients purchased 291,113 products, and adult-use consumers purchased 453,944 products, according to the data. The average product price for medical marijuana patients was $34.94 in December, while the average price of adult-use products was $37.77.

In December, 45 percent of sales were usable cannabis, or flower, while vapes made up 35 percent of sales. Edible products represented 13 percent of sales.

The data was collected through the state’s Seed-to-Sale Tracking System. DCP does not make revenue projections, set sales expectations, collect taxes, or regulate prices.

The preliminary data does not include taxes collected at the point of sale on adult-use transactions and is subject to further review by the department, officials said.

Medical marijuana patients do not pay taxes on the purchase of their medicine.

The data is available at ct.gov/cannabis.