Illinois sold more than 1.5 billion worth of cannabis in 2022

Adult-use cannabis sales in the small state of Illinois, population 12.7 million, topped $1.55 billion in 2022, a new record and a increase of 12 % compared to 2021 and 131 % by 2020. Illinois has113 licensed dispensaries in the state.

In a press release announcing the figure, Democratic Governor JB Pritzker said that when he signed the 2019 state legalization law, the administration «has set an ambitious goal: to create the most equitable and economically prosperous cannabis industry in the nation.»

Last year, the governor said, the first adult-use cannabis dispensaries run by people with cannabis-related run-ins with the law opened their doors, which Pritzker says paves the way «for an even stronger 2023.»

In all, 3 adult-use cannabis dispensaries opened in the last year, while another 189 with conditional licenses are in the process of obtaining their full dispensary licenses from state regulators.

Mario Treto, Jr, secretary of the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR), noted that 2022 marked the second consecutive year that the state's cannabis industry experienced «record growth.»

«We are excited for what the future holds for the fairest cannabis industry in the country. We are optimistic that the industry will only continue to thrive in 2023 as we welcome more dispensaries to Illinois,» said Mario Treto, Jr.

Statistics compiled by IDFPR show that 2021 sales totals were all exceeded in November 2022. A total of 36,435,129 items were sold in Illinois adult-use cannabis dispensaries last year, an increase of 20 % over 2021.

In addition, sales to Illinois residents totaled 1,073,132,436 $, an increase of nearly 14 % over 2021, while sales to out-of-state residents totaled 479,192,383 $, an increase of nearly 10 % over 2021.