From the "Made In Alaska" Facebook page (facebook.com/Made-In-Alaska-140636832634005/)

Alaska’s marijuana sales continue to grow

JUNEAU, Alaska — State revenue generated by Alaska’s legal marijuana industry continues to grow.

The state says it collected more than $720,000 in excise taxes from cultivators in September, the most recent month for which data is available.

The tax is imposed when marijuana is sold or transferred from a cultivation facility to a marijuana retailer or manufacturing facility.

State statistics show that revenue generally has trended upward as the industry has become more established. Revenue generated by the tax dropped between December and January but has climbed since.

The state has collected a total of $3.7 million from the tax since October 2016, when the first retail shops in Alaska opened.

A criminal justice overhaul passed last year called for a portion of the tax revenue to go toward recidivism reduction programs.