The latest revenue data are in for Colorado's marijuana industry. Pictured: A customer counts out cash for a transaction at the Native Roots pot shop in Boulder County in this file photo. (Daily Camera file)

Colorado pot shops sold a record-breaking amount of marijuana in August 2016

The summer of 2016 turned out to be quite lucrative for Colorado’s marijuana industry.

Legal marijuana shops tallied up $126 million in medical and recreational cannabis sales in August, setting a new monthly record, according to Colorado Department of Revenue data made public Wednesday. The young industry’s previous monthly high was set just a month before, with $122.67 million of revenue in July.

At that time, economist Adam Orens, with BBC Research and the Marijuana Policy Group, attributed the sales surge to a seasonal spike:

“That’s when I think more people — Colorado residents plus tourists — people are just out and about,” he said. “There are backyard parties, it’s events of all different kinds, concerts, festivals. I believe it drives more people to consume more alcohol and marijuana.”

Last year told a similar tale. Aside from December, the biggest revenue months for marijuana were July, August and September.

New this year, however, was the implementation of a state law that increased the daily purchase limit for non-residents to one ounce from a quarter-ounce.

August 2016’s $126 million sales consisted of $84.7 million in recreational sales and $41.4 million in medical sales. In August 2015, recreational flower, edibles and concentrates totaled $59.2 million and medical sales were $41.4 million for $100.6 million in monthly revenue.

Through August, Colorado’s marijuana industry has recorded just shy of $846.5 million in sales, resulting in tax revenue of roughly $124.9 million for state funds such as educational capital construction grants and health programs. Comparatively, revenue for the first eight months of 2015 was just over $639 million, with tax revenue totaling more than $86 million, according to state data.

In all of 2014, the first year for legal adult-use sales, the industry’s sales and the resulting state tax revenue totaled $699.2 million and $76.2 million, respectively.



Sales stats for Colorado weed
A month-by-month look comparing sales of recreational and medical marijuana

2016 Recreational total (8 months)
$549,702,172
2016 Medical total (8 months)
$296,790,251
2016: $846,492,422
2015 Recreational total (12 months)
$587,834,219
2015 Medical total (12 months)
$408,350,569
2015: $996,184,788