ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – Most cannabis retailers know that April 20 is a not-to-be-missed pseudo-holiday. The date, of course, can be written as 4/20, a metonym for cannabis culture. And this year, New Mexico retailers cashed in.
Since legal recreational sales began April 1, sales figures from the state’s Cannabis Control Division (CCD) show a total of more than $15 million worth of recreational cannabis has been sold across the state. A little over a million dollars of recreational marijuana products, was sold on 4/20 alone, the numbers show.
The Wednesday the week before 4/20, recreational sales were only a bit above $604,000. By comparison, the 4/20 spike in sales is an 85% increase, netting $1,118,389.46.
“Legal cannabis sales have brought 420 out of the shadows and into the mainstream of our state’s economy,” Kristen Thomson the director of the CCD said in a press release. “From a strong opening and reliable supply to the sales bump on 420, New Mexicans have worked together to create a thriving industry that is part of the state’s diverse economy.”
Of course, not everyone was able to join in on the sales. KRQE News 13 previously reported that some would-be retailers are still waiting for approval to start operations.
Still, the sales numbers show a strong industry, according to Thomson. And the CCD expects sales to generate more than 10,000 jobs and around $50 million in tax revenue for the state.
In addition to tracking recreational sales, the CCD also collects data on medical sales. The latest figures show that since April 1, retailers have sold more than $11.5 million worth of medical cannabis products.
