A whopping $18.4 million was spent on recreational cannabis in Maine in June, surpassing the May record of $17.2 million.
In this May 12, 2023, file photo, marijuana plants grow at a secured growing facility in Washington county, New York. Credit: Hans Pennink / AP

Maine’s cannabis businesses are raking in a lot of green.

Last month saw the highest retail sale of adult-use cannabis in Maine since voters approved it via referendum in 2016.

A whopping $18.4 million was spent on retail cannabis in June, surpassing May’s record of $17.2 million, according to data from the Maine Office of Cannabis Policy. With prices per gram around $7.69, this means Maine cannabis businesses sold around 5,270 pounds of weed in June alone.

While the recreational use and sale of cannabis was legalized in 2016, the first licenses for sale of marijuana weren’t approved until September 2020. The first month of legal sales brought in around $1.4 million.

Jules Walkup is a Report for America corps member. Additional support for this reporting is provided by BDN readers.

Jules Walkup reports on the midcoast and is a Report for America corps member. They graduated from the University of Georgia with a degree in journalism and moved to Maine from Tampa, Florida in July 2023.