Smoke More Weed!

Sales up but revenue down:

• Illinois’ cannabis industry saw a big drop in sales numbers over the last year, but it’s not because demand or product sales dropped, a new state report shows.

  According to the report released by the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation’s Cannabis Regulation and Oversight Office, total dispensary sales dropped to about $1.5 billion in fiscal year 2026.

  That’s down from nearly $2 billion in sales in 2025.

  But that downward financial shift came despite an uptick in demand. Monthly sales figures show more than 5 million adult-use cannabis items sold in July, marking a record high. August sales totaled nearly 4.9 million adult-use items, a 9% increase in items sold compared to last year.

So what's the issue?

• According to the oversight office, there are more dispensaries, and the product is more accessible, so the number of items sold is still going up.

Ah yes, that pesky capitalism - more weed available from more stores means lower prices. And you know the budget people have been basing their spending predictions on imaginary numbers that won't have any basis in actual economic trends.

And with driving all sort of legit businesses out of Illinois, taxes will be going up again.