Adult-use marijuana retailers in Massachusetts surpassed $7 billion in gross sales in November since the state’s legal market launched in 2018, the Massachusetts cannabis Control Commission reported. $1 billion of that total came in just seven months—marking a state record.
The Commission said the state reached the $7 billion mark on November 19, eight days before the marijuana retail holiday known as Green Wednesday, which saw nearly $8 million in cannabis purchases alone. That comes in as the state’s second-best marijuana sales day ever, following the unofficial 4/20 cannabis consumer holiday earlier this year.
The Green Wednesday sales milestone also followed pivotal changes in regulations which were promulgated on November 22, when the “two-agent requirement for delivery and Independent Testing Laboratory (ITL) transportation decreased to one agent for deliveries with a retail or wholesale value of up to $5,000,” according to the Commission. To date, adult-use cannabis sales have reached $1.5 billion in 2024.
“These sales figures demonstrate that Massachusetts customers remain loyal to their local cannabis businesses, they trust the Commonwealth’s regulated marketplace and tested products, and they will continue bolstering the longest-running adult-use market along the East Coast,” acting chair Bruce Stebbins said in a statement. “We look forward to tackling ongoing policy matters in 2025 that will further strengthen our market— beyond recent regulatory changes for delivery and microbusiness licensees—and the upcoming implementation of a new social consumption framework.”
Exciting Changes in Massachusetts’ Marijuana Program
Coinciding with the $7 billion adult-use sales milestone, the average price of flower in Massachusetts has reportedly decreased to $4.58 per gram, the Commission stated. According to Metrc data, cannabis flower (e.g., buds, shake, trim) and pre-roll products were the biggest sellers over the Green Wednesday holiday week, generating a combined $22.7 million in sales. Vape products were the second-most popular ($8.5 million in sales) followed by edibles ($4.8 million).
The Commission’s Social Consumption Working Group also recently revealed a proposal for three new forthcoming social consumption license types. They are designed to “help existing and future licensees expand into new spaces and pursue new business opportunities in line with the Commission’s duty to uphold a safe, equitable and effectively regulated cannabis industry in Massachusetts,” according to the Commission.
