Massachusetts Cannabis Regulator Calls $10 Billion Sales Milestone A Mixed Bag

A Decade of Legal Sales

Ten years after Massachusetts voters passed the state’s adult-use cannabis reforms, the legal cannabis market has surpassed $10 billion in total sales, the State House News Service reports.

CCC Commissioner Anthony Wilson called the milestone a “mixed bag,” noting that “I don’t know if we necessarily want more people using intoxicating substances,” via the News Service. “On the other hand, we’ve created a market that’s creating jobs, that’s providing a revenue to the state, and more importantly, feeding families, and is not having some of the negative, scary social impacts that people were worried about ten years ago,” Wilson said, via the News Service.

Where the Tax Money Goes

CCC Chair Chris Harding called the milestone a significant moment in a statement. “This is a significant moment for the Massachusetts adult-use industry and for the state. An industry that isn’t even a decade old has become an integral part of our economy, counting hundreds of businesses of all sizes and employing nearly 15,000 people,” Harding said in a statement.

“Every adult-use sale generates tax revenue that goes back into vital programs and services at the state and local levels, from substance abuse treatment programs to police training and the Cannabis Social Equity Trust Fund,” Harding said in a statement.

A Repeal Vote Looms

The CCC’s announcement of the milestone came shortly before that vote.

The record June sales and the $10 billion total reflect the scale of the industry that the ballot measure targets. For now, the industry’s cumulative sales stand above $10 billion.

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