*Editor’s Note: This article has been updated to add new sales numbers from the Cannabis Control Division.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – Within hours of the launch of retail sales of cannabis, New Mexico businesses saw more than half a million dollars worth of cannabis sales. Sales quickly topped $1 million across the state. And retailers are set to keep selling.
Non-medical, adult-use cannabis sales passed $475,000 before noon on April 1 and reached $1 million sometime before 4:00 p.m., according to numbers from the Cannabis Control Division (CCD). By 8:00 p.m. statewide total adult-use cannabis sales were starting to approach $1.8 million. As of midnight, $1.9 million had been spent on adult-use cannabis.
“New Mexicans turned out today in strong numbers to show their support for high-quality New Mexico products coming to them for the first time,” Heather Brewer, the spokesperson for the CCD, told KRQE News 13. “The Cannabis Control Division is excited for all the consumers and all of the businesses that have been part of this historic day.”
In some parts of the state, sales began at midnight. Jeremy Sandoval was the first in line at the R. Greenleaf Dispensary in Las Cruces. “Breaking ground is something big. You know we’ve all been waiting for this for a long time,” said Jeremy Sandoval, speaking to KTSM-TV late Thursday night.
And Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham got in on the cannabis excitement too. She surprised some cannabis customers on April 1 with a visit to the Everest Cannabis Company in Uptown Albuquerque.
The Governor didn’t purchase anything, but spoke with the retailers and took a tour of the shop. While there, she said New Mexico has been better prepared for opening day than other states she’s heard from. “We seem so much more prepared,” the Governor said. “New Mexicans just get it done.”
But not everyone had a smooth rollout. KRQE News 13 previously reported that some retailers had to push back their opening date. And even for some retailers that opened on April 1, there were some setbacks. “This has been an interesting day,” explains Dan Novak at the Bad Company in Albuquerque. “BioTrack wasn’t allowing any recreational sales until probably 11:30 a.m. or so.”
BioTrack is software used to track cannabis inventory. Because their system wasn’t working correctly, the Bad Company’s first few hours were limited to just medical sales. But now, Novak says their system works and they expect lots of people to come shop in the next few days.
Glenn Trahan with Cloud 9 Zendustries in Albuquerque says they’ve seen a steady stream of customers too. “We opened at 8:00 [a.m.]. We had a bunch of pre-orders through Leafly [a website], so we’ve been processing people pretty much steadily in the door,” says Glenn Trahan with Cloud 9 Zendustries in Albuquerque. “No big lines or anything, but pretty steady.”
But, there are indications that retail prices could rise. Trahan was in the middle of raising his prices by a few dollars when he spoke to KRQE News 13. “I just called up my order with my supplier and everything went up like $400 a pound overnight,” he says. This, of course, results in higher prices for consumers. “Our high end was $12.50 a gram and it went up to $14,” he says.
Even with potential price increases, he says he expects people to keep steadily coming in. And while he expects steady customers for the next few days, he says he hasn’t sold out yet.
Novak at the Bad Company says that it is likely that prices will start to rise a little bit at retail shops. “We’ll see what happens when we call our suppliers for our next deliveries,” he says.
