The new report published by Headset found Illinoisans are paying 89% more for the average cannabis item than the rest of the nation. Researchers attribute the high prices to stifled competition.
April 20 marks Illinois’ fourth high holiday with recreational marijuana. Here’s how cannabis tax dollars are used. March’s monthly sales topped $135 million.
December 2022 broke the record for monthly cannabis sales in Illinois, but January 2023 couldn’t keep up.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker is touting how much marijuana revenue Illinois received in 2021. But high taxes and regulatory blunders have kept Illinois weed between $200 million and $600 million shy of its potential.
A complex system of high taxes and restrictive licensing undermines the goals of marijuana legalization proponents – leaving $600 million in potential revenue uncollected while helping the illegal drug trade.
Illinois’ cannabis dispensaries are noticing a steady drop in sales after record-setting sales in December. High prices and a lack of supply likely push customers to street dealers.
High taxes on marijuana are believed to help illegal dealers and violence thrive, so San Francisco is holding off on new city pot taxes to help legal dispensaries compete. Illinois and Chicago, where taxes top 40%, may want to pay attention.
Legal marijuana has seen nine consecutive months tally at least $100 million in Illinois sales. The state is on pace to double the previous year and exceed $1.5 billion in sales. Still, Illinois’ illegal market churns out higher sales and violence.
A Chicago-based marijuana company is facing a federal investigation into whether it bought influence to gain state licenses, sources told the Chicago Tribune. It hired four close associates of former Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan.
Springfield lawmakers have yet to learn the lesson that money walks. And it’s not just to other states. Sometimes, it walks past the legal dispensary with a 40% tax rate and into a dealer’s house.
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