Over the past several years in the United States there have been sweeping changes in various states when it comes to marijuana laws – both recreational and medical. Marijuana Venture, a business to business trade publication for the legal marijuana industry, has created a series of publications to explore “the ever-changing rules and regulations, market trends, state demographics, business leaders and more.” This month, Marijuana Venture focuses on Oregon, the third state in the country to legalize recreational cannabis.
In its introduction, Marijuana Venture writes, “Although in 1973 Oregon became the first state to de- criminalize cannabis and in 1998 became the first state to establish a medical marijuana patient registry, voters re- jected multiple legalization bills before finally ushering in the adult-use era with the passage of Measure 91 in 2014.
“Recreational sales began under the state’s early start program in 2015, and demand has been on a steady rise ever since. In May 2020, sales surpassed $100 million in a single month for the first time, putting Oregon on pace to sell more than $1 billion worth of cannabis in 2020. That adds up to more than $232 spent annually on cannabis per capita.
“As of October, cannabis retailers in Oregon average $154,980 a month in sales.”
Oregon’s Fast Facts
Here are some fast fact about the state of the marijuana industry in Oregon:
- With a 17% state tax rate, marijuana sales tax revenue totalled $133,150,349 in 2020.
- Since October 2016, Oregon’s marijuana sales have reached $2,994,706,340
- 2020 was a record year for marijuana sales in Oregon, which surpassed $1 billion.
- Only 2 medical marijuana dispensaries remain in Oregon. They are holding strong with an average of $6.1 million in sales per month.
- Malheur County has the largest amount of sales in the state. In 2020, the county’s six retailers were on schedule to sell more than $90 million in marijuana products.
- Approximately 70% of the state’s marijuana producers are from the following counties: Jackson, Josephine, Clackamas, Lane, and Washington.
More to Come
As the months go by, Marijuana Venture plans to highlight the state of the industry in more states with legal marijuana. In the coming months, the magazine will focus on Alaska, Northern California, and Southern California.
